Karnal: Pneumonia vaccine back in stock

rnal, January 13

The Civil Hospital here has received the stock of pneumonia vaccine, pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV), for children. The hospital was running out of stock of the vaccine for the past two months. It is an injectable vaccine being given to children under the age of five-years to protect them from pneumonia. The vaccine is given in three doses –two primary at six and 14th week and one booster dose at nine months of birth. Earlier, the parents had to procure it from the market for Rs3,600 to 3,800.

The Tribune had highlighted this issue in December and pointed out that the absence of the vaccine in the Civil Hospital, forced the people to purchase the vaccine from market at high prices. “We have received the stock of the vaccine and are contacting the people who visited the hospital when it was out of stock,” said Dr Neelam, Deputy Civil Surgeon.

Dr Ashwani Ahuja, Principal Medical Officer-cum-Civil Surgeon, said the vaccine was introduced in the immunisation programme by the government to protect children from diseases such as pneumonia. People can now, get the vaccine injected to their children in the hospital, he said.

Health Minister Anil Vij said the PCV vaccine was sufficiently available in the state for treatment of children. — TNS