From next month, the Union Health Ministry will finally roll out the pentavalent vaccine in 11 States including Telengana, Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, MP and Punjab under the Universal Immunisation Programme.
This one single vaccine shot will provide protection to millions of infants from five life-threatening ailments, including Diphtheria, Pertussis, Tetanus (DPT), Hepatitis B and Hib (Haemophilus influenza type b). Two years ago, the vaccine was launched in five States Haryana, Goa, Puducherry, Jammu & Kashmir and Gujarat.
While paediatricians have for long been prescribing pentavalent vaccines in their private practice, introduction of the same in the UIP will ensure widespread coverage of infants in the eleven States.
The other States are Assam, Delhi, Bihar, Rajasthan, West Bengal, Uttarakhand, said a senior official from the Health Ministry. He said UNICEF has been requested to arrange for delivery of the vaccines for the programme to be launched in October. A workshop is also planned with the States to review their preparedness about the vaccine introduction programme.
Need of the pentavalent vaccine has been felt for quiet long time as in the present immunisation programme, multiple visits are involved as vaccines for DPT, Hepatitis B and Hib are different. This was resulting in missing cases as well. According to the Government, close to one lakh infants below one year of age die every year due to diarrhoea and the vaccines aim to save them.
Since 2011, the Centre introduced pentavalent vaccine in Kerala, Karnataka, Pondicherry, Goa, Gujarat, Haryana and Jammu & Kashmir.