Paraguay Incorporates Hexavalent Vaccine into National Vaccination Plan

Asunción, IP Agency.- The Ministry of Public Health announced the incorporation of the hexavalent vaccine into the National Vaccination Plan. The biological was available in the country only in the private sector, but since June 19 it will be applied free of charge in all public vaccinations.

“We came to inform the president (Mario Abdo Benítez) of the inclusion of a new vaccine in the National Vaccination Plan, which is the hexavalent one, which we previously only had in the private sector and which will benefit all our children starting in June. ”, commented the Minister of Health, Julio Borba.

“These are four doses for boys and girls aged two, four, six and 18 months. It is a step forward for the protection of this sector of the population, “said the minister.

The pediatric vaccine prevents diseases such as diphtheria, tetanus, hepatitis B, poliomyelitis, coqueluche, and the bacteria that cause meningitis and pneumonia, which will reduce adverse events and, in turn, guarantee the universality of health in early childhood.

Paraguay acquired 250,000 doses of the vaccine through the Revolving Fund of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) and the idea is to increase that amount.

It positions Paraguay at the regional level

The director of the Expanded Immunization Program (PAI), Héctor Castro, stressed that this addition to the National Vaccination Plan constitutes an important step for Paraguayan public health.

“It is extremely important for us because it positions us in the region, after Chile, as one of the countries that incorporates a safe, effective vaccine into its vaccination program that protects against six diseases in childhood for an integrated development,” he said. Castro.

“It will be for children born from the month of April, taking into account this cohort to the month of October. We are going to require 180,000 doses, we will receive 200,000 doses, with which we have a provision that guarantees those children who can migrate from the private sector to the public sector ”, he finally indicated.