New vaccine recommended

April 15, 2011

A Centre for Health Protection committee has recommended the use of 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV13) in the children's immunisation programme.
 
The Scientific Committee on Vaccine Preventable Diseases concluded PCV13 is preferable over PCV7 and PCV10 after reviewing the immunogenicity and safety profile of PCV13, overseas experience and recent trends in local surveillance data.
 
PCV13 has been registered in Hong Kong since last year for children below five years of age. It contains capsular antigens of 13 serotypes of pneumococci, in which serotype 3, 6A and 19A are not contained in any other formulation of PCV. No significant safety issue concerning PCV13 has been reported.
 
Last year's data showed the difference in coverage of local circulating serotypes of pneumococci between PCV13 and that of PCV7/PCV10 is gradually becoming bigger.
 
PCV13 will be used as a direct replacement of PCV10. The immunisation schedule will remain unchanged - three primary doses at two, four and six months of age followed by one booster dose at 12 to 15 months.
 
The Department of Health will prepare tender and other contractual work to secure supplies of PCV13, which are expected to be ready by year's-end. Before then, PCV10 will continue to be used in the immunisation programme for children.
 
Between September 2009 and last month more than 86,000 children aged below two received PCV7/PCV10 in the department’s maternal and childcare centres under the immunisation programme, and more than 79,000 children did so under the PCV catch-up programme.
 
Pneumococcus bacterium often causes invasive pneumococcal diseases in young children, such as chest and blood infections, and meningitis.
 
As no pneumococcal vaccine covers all known serotypes of pneumococci, the department advised people to observe personal and environmental hygiene to prevent infection.