India’s 1st Indigenously Developed Pneumococcal Vaccine “Pneumosil”

Context:

The Government launched the country’s first pneumococcal conjugate vaccine ‘’Pneumosil’’ developed by the Serum Institute of India in collaboration with partners like the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

About:

• Pneumococcal disease is a name for any infection caused by bacteria called Streptococcus pneumoniae, or pneumococcus.
• Pneumococcal infections can range from ear and sinus infections to pneumonia and bloodstream infections.
• There are vaccines to help prevent pneumococcal disease.
• Bacteria called Streptococcus pneumoniae, or pneumococcus can cause many types of infections. Some of these infections can be life-threatening.
  • Pneumonia: A lung infection
  • Bacteremia: A blood infection
  • Sinusitis: A sinus infection
  • Meningitis: A infection of the lining of the brain and spinal cord
  • Otitis Media: A middle ear infection

 

About Pneumosil

PNEUMOSIL is a Polysaccharide Conjugate Vaccine which is a sterile suspension of saccharides of the capsular and antigens of Streptococcus pneumoniae serotypes.

 

Polysaccharide Conjugate Vaccine

The polysaccharide conjugate vaccine adds the positive characteristics of protein antigens to the polysaccharide antigen, thereby improving the immunogenicity of the polysaccharide antigen, solving the problem that the polysaccharide vaccine cannot be effectively applied in toddlers or children.