Immunization 101: Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine

Four months. It has been that long since last I posted an entry. I truly miss blogging but the flurry of events and changes that had happened to me and our family for the last four months has kept me from having sufficient time, energy, and patience to just sit down and make an entry. Hopefully, as I am now more at ease with those changes I will be able to update you, my dear readers, more frequently. I can’t wait to share to all of you what I have experienced and learned for the past four months. So for my first entry for the year 2016, let me continue my blog post series about Immunization.

Three weeks ago, our little Queen B had her third dosage of the Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine (PCV), a vaccine used to protect infants, children, and even adults against pneumococcal infections caused by the bacterium Streptococcus pneumoniae.

Infections caused by Streptococcus pneumonia are divided into two classes; the Non-Invasive Pneumococcal Diseases and the Invasive Pneumococcal Diseases. Non-Invasive Pneumococcal Diseases include otitis media (also known as middle ear infection), sinusitis, and bronchitis while Invasive Pneumococcal Diseases include bacteremia (bacterial infection of the blood), meningitis (inflammation of the meninges which are the three membranes that cover the spinal cord and the brain), and pneumonia.

Pneumococcal infection is a major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), in 2000 it is estimated that about 14.5 million episodes of serious pneumococcal disease occurred, resulting in about 826,000 deaths in children aged 1-59 months. Diseases caused by Streptococcus pneumonia are common in children under two years old, including newborn infants. In the Philippines, pneumonia is among the top 10 leading causes of mortality especially in infants and children. In 2012, 19% of the causes of death for under-5 year olds are due to pneumonia. 

Pneumonia and other pneumococcal infections can be prevented by:

Practicing good hygiene. Our hands come in contact with many bacteria and other disease-causing agents so regular hand washing and use of hand sanitizer may prevent these ailments. Hand washing is part of our regular routine with our little Queen B before and after mealtimes. All throughout the day the three of us also use hand sanitizers.

Not smoking. Chemicals in smoke damage our lungs’ natural protection against respiratory infections. Both J and I are non-smokers, as well as most of our friends. We also avoid passing by smoking areas.

Practicing a healthy lifestyle. Balanced diet and regular exercise go a long way to keeping illnesses at bay. In this part, admittedly, J and I still have a lot of room for improvement. We still need to make fruits a regular part of our meals and we really need to make time for exercise.

Getting Vaccinated.

Our little Queen B was given Prevenar 13, a tridecavalent vaccine. It protects against 13 of the most common types of pneumococcal bacteria. Georgina received the first dosage at 5 months of age though it can be given as early as 6 weeks of age. The second shot was injected a month after. Our pediatrician asked us to come back for the third dose any time after her first birthday. She received it at 14 months of age.

The Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine is administered intramuscularly. Children who receive PCV may have redness, tenderness, or swelling at the vaccination site. They may also develop a low grade fever after the shot. Fortunately for us, it was only after the first shot did our little Queen B had a low grade fever which paracetamol and more frequent nursing sessions cured immediately.  There were no side effects after the succeeding dosages.

People have a risk of developing pneumonia after a case of the flu so getting the yearly flu shot is also recommended for children and adults alike. Georgina received her flu vaccine a month after the second dosage of PCV.

The PCV is part of the Philippines Expanded Program of Immunization. It was just included last 2013 and its integration is being phased. Unfortunately, our barangay health center is still not part of the list of barangays in the Philippines that receives this vaccine. We would have saved a substantial amount of money as each dose cost 4000 Php. We are blessed that we can afford to pay for this important vaccine but, regrettably, a lot of other families can’t. It is my hope that our government doubles its effort to offer the Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine to all barangay health centers.

#xoxo