Drive launched in Andhra to prevent pneumonia in infants
Amaravati, Aug 25 : Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy on Wednesday launched Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine (PCV) drive aimed at preventing pneumonia in infants.
A month-old baby was vaccinated in the presence of Reddy as part of kicking off the drive.
"Immunisation is one of the most cost-effective public health interventions for the protection of children from serious health conditions, which are preventable and can reduce child mortality," the Chief Minister said.
He said that PCV is a safe and effective vaccine which is administered in three doses to infants at the age of 6 weeks, 14 weeks and 40 weeks.
The PCV drive is aimed at preventing pneumonia in children, which is a major cause of infant and child mortality.
With the latest addition of PCV, the southern state is now providing 10 types of vaccines for children.
Annually, the state organises 6 lakh routine immunisation sessions with the help of 17,000 ANMs.