More than 23,000 infants have been vaccinated against pneumococcal disease 

The first stage of the campaign will conclude on September 30. Photo: Frank Aparicio 

Through the national anti-pneumococcal vaccination campaign with Pneumosil 10 valente, 21 092 children, born between January 1 and June 30 of the current year, have been immunized as part of the catch-up exercise, Gretza Sánchez Padrón, general director of Hygiene, Epidemiology and Microbiology of the Ministry of Public Health, told the press.She added that, of the children born in July and who are two months old to date, 1,995 infants have received the first dose of the injection.Sánchez Padrón emphasized that, nine days after starting to administer the immunogen, there is evidence of the successful progress of this campaign in the 670 vaccination centers throughout the Island, certified by the National Immunization Program of the Ministry of Health.She insisted that Pneumosil 10 valente protects against the ten most widely circulating pneumococcal serotypes, which can cause serious illnesses such as acute meningitis, pneumonia or sepsis (blood infection).The general director of Hygiene, Epidemiology and Microbiology of the Minsap explained that this first stage will end on September 30, and then another dose will be applied at four months, and a booster at 11 months, with the support of the Global Alliance of Vaccines and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO).As for the Cuban anti-pneumococcal vaccine Quimi-Vio, developed by the Finlay Vaccine Institute and produced by the National Center of Biopreparations, he said that it should begin to be applied to two-year-old infants in the next few months.According to a recent speech by Lena Lopez Ambron, director of the National Immunization Program, with the incorporation of Pneumosil 10 valente Cuba joins the list of 35 countries in the American region that have, within their immunization schedules, anti-pneumococcal vaccines.