The Ministry of Health has announced that from March 20 to June 29, 2018, it will be possible to take advantage of free pneumococcal vaccination for children born in 2013-2016. Parents of these children have little time to visit a doctor and apply for vaccination. The number of vaccines is limited.
What should I know?
Vaccinations against pneumococci are voluntary, free of charge and will be performed by clinics that have signed a contract with the National Health Fund. Children under the age of 5 who are not subject to compulsory vaccinations and who have not been vaccinated (children born in 2013-2016) can be vaccinated. The condition is to qualify the child for vaccination by April 20, 2018. They are performed using the 10-valent vaccine, and the vaccination schedule includes two doses with an interval of two months. Parents who wish to vaccinate their child against pneumococci should contact their clinic (where the declaration of choice of a primary health care physician has been submitted) regarding the timing of vaccination. These are all the conditions that must be met.
– Vaccination gives the best and effective protection against invasive infections, pneumonia and acute otitis media caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae! – underlines the Ministry of Health. The number of vaccines and the duration of the action are limited. Information on vaccinations is also provided by poviat sanitary and epidemiological stations.
What if you don’t make it? In this case, the parent will have to purchase the prescription-only vaccine himself.
From January 2017, all newborn babies are subject to compulsory pneumococcal vaccination. Until the end of 2016, children born before the 37th week of pregnancy and those with a birth weight below 2,5 kg were compulsorily vaccinated against pneumococci. Due to medical indications, also children up to 5 years of age suffering from diseases such as for chronic heart disease, diabetes and asthma. The parents of the other toddlers, if they wanted to vaccinate their children against pneumococci, had to buy the vaccines themselves; some could count on local government funding for vaccination as part of health programs.
Pneumococci – What Are They?
Pneumococcus is the most common cause of community-acquired bacterial respiratory infections, such as otitis media, sinusitis, and exacerbations of chronic bronchitis. They are also the most common cause of community acquired pneumonia, especially those associated with bacteremia (bacteria in the blood). Today we are able to deal with this disease much better than at the beginning of the 4th century. However, this does not change the fact that, especially in immunocompromised people and children, pneumococcal pneumonia is still a high risk. Annually, as a result of complications and bacterial attack of the alveoli, about XNUMX million people worldwide die. Common symptoms of pneumonia in a child include coughing, shortness of breath, pronounced pain when touching the chest, and fever. If the sputum culture and x-rays confirm the doctor’s diagnosis, pneumonia is best treated with antibiotics. In order to protect the child against one of the most common causes of this disease, it should be vaccinated against pneumococcal bacteria, also responsible for sinusitis and dangerous diseases of the meninges and the brain itself. Pneumococci spread by droplets, most often in autumn and winter.