KOCHI: Kerala could soon roll out pneumococcal vaccine through the national immunisation programme. In public health sector, Kerala would be the first state in India to introduce this vaccine that protects infants from pneumonia, a disease that killed 3.71 lakh children in India in 2008, according to the latest World Health Organization report. The disease also accounts for 23% of deaths among infants under five in the country.
Though the vaccine is now available in the private sector, it reaches only 40% of the target population. The price of Rs 3,000 for a shot also makes it an optional vaccine for many. India's National Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (NTAGI) has already given its nod to the implementation of this new generation vaccine in the country. Since Kerala has the highest percentage of vaccination, on a par with developed countries, it would be the first, like in the case of Pentavalent vaccine, to bring the new vaccine to the government health sector.