World Health Organization calls for routine pneumococcal vaccination

Vaccination experts in the kingdom of Saudi Arabia discussed the importance of routine pneumococcal immunization in young children, in response to the recent announcement of the World Health Organization (WHO) to support the inclusion of Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine (PCV) in national immunization programs worldwide.

'The meeting entitled, Helping to Save Lives Today, is aimed at highlighting the burden of pneumococcal diseases and potential prevention through routine vaccination. Especially with the increased usage of antibiotics, which has resulted in more resistant bugs' said Professor Atef Shebil, Professor of Microbiology at King Saudi University in Riyadh, a speaker at the seminar. 'We are very glad that Health Care Practitioners in Saudi Arabia are proactive and eager to introduce and educate the public on the importance of vaccinating against such life threatening diseases.'

Young children are carriers of pneumococcal diseases and the main source of transmission to grand parents who have lower immunity. The WHO estimates that more than one million young children die each year worldwide due to pneumococcal diseases.

Pneumococcal diseases include bacteremia, meningitis and pneumonia & otitis media. These diseases can lead to hearing loss, paralysis and sometimes death. Due to the rise in antibiotic resistance of pneumococcal diseases and the high rate of mortality, the focus of international disease management has shifted from treatment to prevention.

The 3 consecutive lectures, being held in Riyadh, Al Khobar, and in Jeddah on, discussed the importance of implementing a number of prevention methods against pneumococcal diseases in the Kingdom.

'Prevention of pneumococcal diseases through the vaccination of young children with Prevnar is now recognized as an essential step in worldwide immunization. Reducing the burden of pneumococcal diseases is a vital step towards achieving the United Nation's Millennium Goal of reducing child mortality by two-thirds by 2015.' said speaker Dr. Mark A Fletcher, MD International Scientific and Clinical Affairs, Wyeth Pharmaceuticals, Paris.

'The vaccine is now part of routine programs in 17 countries worldwide including Qatar, Kuwait, and the health authorities of Dubai, and Abu Dhabi.'