Prevenar 13, the improved pneumonia vaccine
The Prevenar vaccine is back in a new version, Prevenar 13, which will be administered from 2016 against pneumococcus.
Prevenar 13 is a vaccine that prevents the individual against the bacteria ‘Streptococcus Pneumonae’. At the end of 2014, the news was released that Prevenar 13 was finally becoming part of the state vaccination calendar , designed for 2016. This vaccine, scientifically proven effective in preventing pneumonia and other conditions, has been claimed for years to fight against pneumococcal bacteria, which also causes otitis and meningitis.
But what is pneumonia, exactly? Pneumonia is the infection of part or all of the lung that usually begins with an infection of the upper respiratory tract, such as a cold. It is caused by various microorganisms such as viruses, batteries, fungi and parasites and is the leading cause of death among children in developing countries. Although it seems common and not too extreme, this condition kills 2 million children each year in countries where pneumonia is not vaccinated.
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AN IMPROVED VERSION OF PREVENAR 7 IN THE VACCINATION SCHEDULE
The case of this vaccine is something special, because it comes and goes from the vaccination calendar: when Prevenar 7 was established for the first time in Madrid and was massively vaccinated, we witnessed a 72% reduction in battery-operated pneumonia, from meningitis in 54% and empyema in 45%. Despite the good figures, the autonomous government of Madrid stopped subsidizing it.
This vaccine is expensive, since before it was applied in four doses and each cost about 75 euros. The cost of the complete treatment, that is, of the four doses, amounted to 300 euros. In fact, it only entered through social security in cases of babies with chronic diseases such as heart disease or kidney disease, always taking into account the existing risk of contracting invasive diseases. A disease is considered invasive when the bacteria spread through the body causing serious infections, such as septicemia (infection in the blood) or meningitis (in the membranes that surround the brain and spinal cord).
Prevenar 13 is the improved version of Prevenar 7 , since the new vaccine offers greater safety to children: it immunizes them against thirteen types of pneumococci, while the previous one only immunized seven. It is applied by a superficial prick and is very well tolerated by babies, since it does not cause local or systemic adverse effects. Its percentage of immunity in children is almost one hundred percent.
WHEN IS PREVENAR 13 GIVEN?
As we have mentioned, previously the vaccine was administered at 2, 4, 6 and 11 months. However, now the vaccine schedule will be 2, 4 and 12 months. This means one less dose, is it safe? It must be borne in mind that the effect of group protection must be added to the individual effect: the more children protected and vaccinated, the lower the possibility of contagion.
But Prevenar 13 also has negative aspects. Among the effects, there may be a decrease in appetite, quite high fever , irritability, reactions at the injection site, drowsiness and poor quality of sleep are some adverse effects that the vaccine can produce. These side effects would have occurred in more than one in ten children.
Of course, people allergic to the active substances, to any of the other ingredients or to diphtheria toxoid should not be vaccinated. However, let’s be calm: the AEP Vaccination Committee, for its part, rules out any fatal reaction to the vaccine.
Therefore, we have to celebrate that this vaccine enters the Spanish vaccination calendar as of 2016. However, if it has cost so much to reach a “first world” country … What should developing countries expect ? By when will it go global?
Dr. Tabriella Perivolaris, Sara's mother and fan of fashion, beauty, motherhood, among others, about the female universe. Since 2018 she has been working as a copywriter, always bringing to her articles a little of her experience and experience as a mother and woman.