Jakarta (ANTARA) – Parents need to make sure their children get vaccinated Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine (PCV) is complete to prevent pneumonia caused by the bacteria Streptococcus pneumoniae or known as Pneumococcus, said Member of the Immunization Task Force of the Indonesian Pediatrician Association (IDAI) Soedjatmiko.
“The PCV vaccine is specifically able to kill Pneumococcus, whereas other vaccines are not specifically able to kill the bacteria that cause pneumonia,” he said at the “Commemoration of World Pneumonia Day” event in Jakarta, Monday.
He said that the Indonesian government continues to strive to protect children from pneumonia, since 2006 through PCV10 vaccination, then in 2022 PCV13 vaccination, in a national immunization program which means every toddler aged two, three and 12 months can receive a vaccine to prevent pneumonia for free.
Technological advances, according to him, have produced a new PCV15 vaccine with broader protection because it provides additional protection for two serotypes that are dangerous for toddlers and children.
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This type of PCV vaccine, he said, is superior to the PCV10 and PCV13 that Indonesia previously had against 10 to 13 serotypes.
According to him, serotypes are different variations in one species of bacteria or virus, where over time the pneumococcal bacteria also grow and develop to form new species.
“PCV15 can protect against the dangers of 15 serotypes, including the new types 22F and 33 FF in Indonesia,” he said.
According to him, since June 2023 the Food and Drug Supervisory Agency (BPOM) has officially issued a permit for the use of the PCV15 vaccine to be given routinely at the age of two to four months, then 11 to 15 months, up to the age of 17 years.
“PCV15 has been clinically proven to be safe and useful for protecting 15 dangerous pneumococcal serotypes. For those who want broader protection, there is no need to hesitate, immediately ask for PCV15 vaccination from a doctor or pediatrician at a private health service,” he said.
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Apart from preventing pneumonia, PCV vaccination can prevent other diseases, such as meningitis, blood infections or bacteremia and ear inflammation or otitis caused by pneumococcal bacteria.
He said pneumonia is a disease that can be prevented and treated, but ironically the child mortality rate due to pneumonia which disrupts the respiratory system is still high.
Data from the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in 2022 shows that one child dies from pneumonia every 43 seconds worldwide, making it the main cause of death for infants and children, even more than AIDS, malaria and measles.
In Indonesia, pneumonia causes 14.5 percent of deaths in infants and five percent of deaths in children under five years of age.
“This figure is quite large considering that currently there are an average of five million child births in one year in Indonesia,” said Soedjatmiko.
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2023-11-06 09:34:43
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