Pneumococcal disease causes 1 lakh death in a year: Pediatrician
It has been known that there are around 30 to 40 germs that cause diarrhoea.
Chennai: One out of every five children in Tamil Nadu suffering with pneumococcal disease (caused by bacteria Streptococcus Pneumoniae) can die, according to recent reports. “The disease sees an annual burden of 5.5 lakh severe episodes and one lakh deaths,” said Bhaskar Raju, Consulting Pediatrician, adding the burden can drastically come down by using vaccine.
The Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation (GAVI) has been known to have immunised an estimated 4.7 crore children with pneumococcal vaccines and 127 countries have introduced the pneumococcal conjugate vaccines in their National Immunisation Programme as of May 2015, according to reports.
“The vaccine is still not available in India through GAVI,” he regretted.
It has been known that there are around 30 to 40 germs that cause diarrhoea and thanks to the rise in the levels of hygiene - with the supply of safe drinking water - and the introduction of the oral dehydration solution, diarrhoea cases have come down drastically. However, these methods have failed to defeat the rotaviral germ, which can be mitigated only with the rotavirus vaccine. “With the introduction of the vaccine in 80 countries, the prevalence of the disease has been reducing,” said a health official.
Vaccines are extremely beneficial among women. The Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) Vaccine is used to protect a woman from cervical cancer, which is the second kind of cancer among women, following breast cancer. “The virus, that is transmitted sexually, infects 70 per cent of all women. However, five to 10 per cent of these women can develop persistent infection which could lead to cervical cancer,” said Radha Bai Prabhu, consulting gynaecologist.
Vaccines are also essential in the case of rabies. “One of the main reasons India reports the highest rabies deaths globally (20,000 per year) is because of the myth that all five shots of the rabies vaccine is not necessary,” said Shafi Kolhapure, GM-Medical Affairs, GSK Biologicals, India.