Pneumococcal Vaccine
A good friend of mine who has a 2 month old boy came up to me and told me that she had taken her boy for a pneumococcal jab. It cost her RM250 per jab and another 3 more to go – staggered. I said “that’s great!” But wait..isn’t it a very expensive jab? Why is it so important? Does your child need it?
What is Pneumococcal infection?
The culprit for pneumococcal disease (PnD) would be Pneumococcus (also known as the bacterium Streptococcus pneumoniae). It is highly contagious and can spread among children through sneezing or coughing. It causes diseases like meningitis (inflammation of the protective membranes covering the brain and spinal cord), pneumonia (inflammatory illness of the lung), bacteraemia (presence of bacteria in the blood) and otitis media (middle ear infection).
PnD is a bacterial infection, thus the treatment is with antibiotics. Late initiation may cause permanent damaging effect to the baby. Furthermore, the sign and symptoms of the infection are difficult to distinguish from normal fever or cough. Moreover, the bacteria strain of pneumococcus evolves and develops resistance, rendering it difficult to be treated.
( This picture shows the organism pneumococci. These bacteria are usually paired (diplococci) or appear in chains. Courtesy of the Centers for Disease Control)
The Norms These Days
Working parents normally send their newborns to the daycare centers or nurseries. The problem is that there are many of them. When one gets sick, the others will be too eventually because of the low immune system. Kids under 24 months are at great risk, so does those who have inherited lack or absence of antibodies.
The 7-valent conjugate vaccine (PCV7) for pneumococcal infection prevention is very effective in children
Immunization Schedule
· The recommended schedule of immunization for the vaccine is 4 doses, given at 2, 4, 6, and 12 to 15 months of age.
· Infants starting immunization between 7 and 11 months should have 3 doses.
· Children starting their vaccinations between 12 and 23 months only need 2 doses.
· Those who are over 2 years old need only one dose.
Side Effects of the Pneumococcal Pneumonia Vaccine
Side effects include pain and redness at the injection site, fever, and joint aches. Do not worry about that, even adults get these kind of side effects! Children are more likely to have fever within 48 hours if they receive other vaccines at the same time and also after the second dose. Fortunately, severe reactions like seizures are very rare. Allergic reactions are also very rare.
If you have doubts, ask your doctor about this.
Prevention is better than cure.
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