The Punjab Government on Wednesday launched Pentavalent vaccine which would be administered free of cost to the infants within three months of birth in all Government hospitals and dispensaries.
“Under the Centre’s Universal Immunisation Programme, this vaccine has played a key role in protection against dangerous childhood diseases. The vaccine would substantially reduce infant and under-five child mortality rate in Punjab,” said State Health and Family Welfare Minister Surjit Kumar Jayani while addressing the gathering after launching the vaccine during State-level function in Rajpura. The vaccine would protect children against diphtheria, pertussis, hepatitis B, tetanus and haemophilus influenzae B.
Jayani termed the vaccine as one of the most cost-effective public health interventions which has delivered excellent results in providing direct and effective protection against preventable childhood diseases such as measles, hepatitis B, diphtheria, poliomyelitis, tetanus and pertussis. Quoting statistics, Jayani said that it was unfortunate that every year 3.70 lakh infants in the world die due to Hib disease and 20 per cent are from India. He urged the people to take full advantage of health facilities being extended by the State Government so that complete health cover could be ensured to the children. With the introduction Hib vaccine into the UIP as a Pentavalent vaccine (containing diphtheria-pertussis-tetanus (DPT), hepatitis B and Hib antigens), India has covered another milestone. All the States would be covered under this assured health plan initiated by the Centre in a phased manner.