A press launch from the Medical Analysis Council-The Gambia on the London College of Hygiene and Tropical Medication (MRCG at LSHTM) on Tuesday, June 24, 2025, said that the World Well being Organisation (WHO) has up to date its Pneumococcal Vaccine Coverage to allow it to achieve extra youngsters worldwide. Based on the discharge, the Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccines (PCVs) shield youngsters from the harmful Streptococcus pneumoniae bacterium, which is the most typical reason for extreme pneumonia, septicaemia and meningitis.
The discharge stated PCVs have saved greater than 1.6 million lives since they have been launched within the 12 months 2000. Nevertheless, it stated the comparatively excessive value of PCVs poses a barrier to sustainable entry in lots of international locations. Beneath is the continuation of the discharge:
“Measures to extend entry to the vaccine have not too long ago been really useful by the World Well being Group (WHO), following intensive analysis, together with landmark research on the MRC Unit The Gambia at LSHTM and trials in international locations equivalent to Vietnam, South Africa, India, the UK, Kenya, and Niger. This analysis has targeted on methods to extend PCV protection, cut back prices, and save extra lives, particularly amongst weak communities, by evaluating reduced-dose schedules and fractional dosing approaches.”
“The Pneumococcal Vaccine Schedules (PVS) research on the MRC Unit, The Gambia was performed in shut collaboration with the Gambian Ministry of Well being (MoH). It evaluated whether or not a two-dose (1p+1) schedule of PCV was secure and as efficient as the usual three-dose (3p+0) schedule. The discount from three to 2 doses would decrease nationwide and international prices of PCV, simplify vaccination schedules, unlock assets for different immunisation efforts, and imply fewer injections for infants.”
“Initiated in 2019, the research enrolled 33,001 infants in rural Gambia over 4 years, offering the choice 1p+1 schedule or the usual 3p+0 schedule to all infants resident within the research space. The findings of PVS present that the 1p+1 schedule is secure and simply as efficient because the 3p+0 schedule at stopping pneumococcal ailments and controlling the transmission of pneumococcal micro organism locally.”
“The WHO has now expanded its suggestions on PCV use to permit international locations with excessive vaccine protection, robust present neighborhood immunity and adequate surveillance capability to present two as a substitute of the same old three doses or administer fractional doses. WHO revealed the brand new coverage in its Weekly Epidemiological File (WER) based mostly on suggestions from its Strategic Advisory Group of Consultants on Immunisation (SAGE), following a radical overview of worldwide proof.
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Commenting on the brand new coverage, Professor Umberto D’Alessandro, Unit Director at MRCG at LSHTM, emphasised, “the brand new coverage marks a essential step ahead in international immunisation efforts. The PVS research is an instance of how native analysis partnerships can form impactful international well being coverage. The introduction of a simplified vaccine schedule may considerably enhance entry to life-saving vaccines, notably in resource-limited settings, thus decreasing childhood mortality from pneumococcal illness.”
“Dr Grant Mackenzie, Principal Investigator for the PVS research, commented on the research’s potential to remodel vaccine entry: “The PVS research, a 4-year collaborative effort between the MRCG and the MoH, aimed to guage the effectiveness of a two-dose in comparison with a three-dose PCV schedule. PVS indicated that the two-dose schedule may be thought of for adoption in lots of settings, widening the attain to extra youngsters, with larger sustainability on the nation degree and for worldwide companions.”
“The findings of PVS will proceed to play a vital function in shaping international immunisation coverage, enhancing the attain and influence of PCV packages worldwide. The research was funded via the UKRI’s Joint World Well being Trials scheme, UK MRC, Wellcome Belief, UK Assist Direct, UK NIHR, UK NIHR Mucosal Pathogens Analysis Unit, and the Gates Basis.”
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