The pneumo23 vaccine is routinely recommended for all adults age 65 and older, as well as anyone age 2 and older with certain medical conditions that can lead to higher risk to contract pneumococcal disease.
In Paraguay, the Ministry of Public Health (MSPBS) announced last Friday that, as part of a winter vaccination campaignthe Expanded Program on Immunizations (PAI) I would also apply the vaccine against pneumococcus to the older than 60 years.
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During the immunization period that began last Monday, they already applied 16,619 doses from PPSV23announced today the doctor Hector Castro, director of the EPI, during the weekly Public Health conference.
The doctor commented that the vaccination will continue until out of stock of the biological ones; however, in Assumptionthe doses against pneumococcus are no longer available, as reported today by ABC readers who approached the vaccination posts looking to get inoculated.
Also, pneumo23 cannot be found at most immunization posts in the central Department, as confirmed by Public Health.
“In Asuncion it is no longer available. Only in some places in Central ”, they explained from the health portfolio before the ABC consultation.
According to what they indicated, the biological can still be found in the Maternal and Child Hospital of Fernando de la MoraGeneral Hospital of San Lorenzo (Street i)Hospital Ñemby and in the District Hospital of Villa Elisa.
Single dose, usually
During the launch of the winter vaccination campaign, the director of the EPI, Dr. Hector Castro, had warned that the availability of the pneumococcal vaccine was “limited”.
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However, he assured that for a better distribution of the resource, only those adults who had not yet received the biological would be taken into account.
Is that, as indicated, most people need only one dose of PPSV23since only one is recommended. second dose for certain groups of high risk.
