Abbott, the global healthcare leader, has announced the launch of its Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine, PneumoShield 14, for children over 6 weeks of age. Abbott’s PCV-14 valent (Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine), offers broad protection, covering the highest number of serotypes, or strains, as compared to existing PCV-10 and PCV-13 vaccines.

A strain refers to a genetic or structural variant or subtype of a microorganism. The PCV-14 terminology in Abbott’s PneumoShield 14 vaccine refers to the fact that this vaccine offers protection against 14 different strains of pneumococcal bacteria. A conjugate vaccine is a distinct type of vaccine that combines a part of the bacteria with a protein to make it work better. This helps the immune system recognise and fight off the bacteria more effectively, making it stronger against certain infections, which can result in severe diseases, especially among children.

Children under five years of age, especially those aged two years or under, face a high risk of pneumococcal disease, which is caused by a bacterial infection. Pneumococcal infections can result in a range of conditions, including pneumonia, meningitis (inflammation of the tissues surrounding the brain and spinal cord), or blood infections, collectively known as Invasive Pneumococcal Disease (IPD). Vaccination can protect against some of these infections and can prevent complications in children.

IPD is associated with high mortality in children under five years of age, resulting in 14% of deaths in India.

The PCV-14 vaccine protects against five more strains than the PCV 10, and two more strains than the PCV 13 vaccines that are currently used in India, in private clinics and hospitals. The recommended immunisation schedule for PneumoShield 14, which is administered via intramuscular injections, is at 6, 10, and  14 weeks.