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NT Bureau
Chennai, Apr 10:
 

        World Health Organisation (WHO) called for the introduction of vaccines to fight pneumucoccal disease in the immunisation programmes of developing countries, in particular the recently-licensed seven-valent vaccine, at the recently concluded meet on 2 April in Geneva, Switzerland.

        In India, as many as 2.1 million children die every year due to pneumucoccal disease. The main cause of death in these children remains diarrhoea (23%) and pneumonia (23%) and both of these are preventable, said a press release. 'As a result of this recommendation, developing countries can now get seven-valent vaccines at US $ 0.10 to $ 0.30 per dose.

        The safety and efficacy of the seven-valent vaccine, as with other formulations of vaccines to fight pnuemonical disease, has been well established in numerous settings both in industrialised and developing countries,' said Dr Orin Levine, executive director, Pneumucoccal Vaccine Accelerated Development and Introduction Plan.