http://www.granma.cu/ingles/2005/marzo/vier4/11tetra.html
CUBAN IMMUNIZATION PROGRAM Uses vaccine against diphtheria, whooping cough, tetanus and hepatitis B . All children born from January 1, 2005 onwards will be immunized with the DPT-HB tetravalent, except for those children whose mothers carry the hepatitis B virus; they will receive similar protection, but under a different vaccination plan BY LILLIAM RIERA-Granma International staff writer- . BEGINNING March 1, 2005, Cuba's Immunization Program is now using a Cuban-produced vaccine that protects children from four diseases ( diphtheria, whooping cough, tetanus and hepatitis B) . Prof. Miguel Galindo, head of the Ministry of Public Health's Immunization Program, told Granma daily that all children born from January 1, 2005 onwards would be immunized with the tetravalent vaccine DPT-HB, except for those children whose mothers carry the hepatitis B virus; these will receive similar protection, but under a different vaccination plan. Babies whose mothers are healthy will receive the first dose when they are two months old, subsequent doses when they are four and six months old, and at 18 months, they will receive a booster with the triple DPT (diphtheria, whooping cough and tetanus). Children whose mothers carry hepatitis will receive a second dose of the Cuban recombination vaccine against hepatitis B ( Heberbiovac HB) at the age of one month (these babies received their first dose when they were born, as all Cuban children do). They receive the third dose at two months and a booster after turning one year. These children will be immunized with the triple DPT at two, four and six months, and receive a booster at 18 months. These are high quality and effective vaccines, and provide 95% protection against diphtheria and tetanus, 80% against whooping cough and 98% against hepatitis B. The Cuban vaccination program protects children from 13 illnesses. Its efficacy has eliminated nine of them at the national level, including poliomyelitis - since 1962 - and neonatal tetanus since 1972. The Finlay Institute supplies the Center for Genetic and Biotechnological Engineering ( CIGB) with the first three components ( diphtheria and tetanus anatoxines, and pertussis compound, the microorganism that causes whooping cough) needed to produce the tetravalent vaccine, according to Ricardo Montero, president of Finlay Vaccines S.A. in February 2004, who spoke with Granma International. This company is 100% Cuban, and exclusively represents the products, projects and services of the Finlay Institute, part of the scientific complex in western Havana. In the interview, Montero explained that this Institute participates in the Cuban program of combined vaccines, "in close collaboration with the CIGB," the institution leading the project. Combined vaccines protect children from several illnesses with a single injection, avoiding the risk of increased side effects that occurs when these vaccines are administered separately, such as fever, general discomfort and reddened skin in the area of the shot, common in 30% of those immunized. At the end of last year, a Finlay Institute plant intiated operations to produce the three first components of a tetravalent vaccine. According to Montero, this will "guarantee sufficient supplies, together with those created by the CIGB and the National Center of Bio-prepared Products, to be able to offer vaccines to the World Health Organization and any country that may request them." Likewise, it was reported that investments in technological equipment at the CIGB has made it possible to double the production of Heberbiovac HB, thus giving the center the potential to produce nearly six million doses for children this year. Such a figure would create a real opportunity to make this vaccine available to other regions in the world. However, Cuban researchers aren't stopping there. They continue to work on producing a pentavalent vaccine ( DPT-HB-Hlb) against diphtheria, whooping cough, tetanus, hepatitis B and Haemophilus influenzae Type b. The latter is responsible for a large percentage of cases of meningitis, pneumonia and otitis, resulting in the deaths of half a million children worldwide. Quimi- Hib is the commercial name of the Cuban vaccine against that bacterium. In June 2003, Dr. Vicente V�rez Bencomo, its principal creator, explained to GI that this is "the first vaccine in the world artificially created in a laboratory," and that the new shot, "when used by the national Immunization Program, will enable the country to save two to three million dollars per year in imports." Since August 2004, a plant to produce the active pharmaceutical components of this vaccine has been operating at the CIGB. With an installed capacity of 10 million units annually, this plant meets 100% of the country's needs, and it could increase production fivefold to be able to export significant amounts in the near future. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> Has someone you know been affected by illness or disease? Network for Good is THE place to support health awareness efforts! http://us.click.yahoo.com/rkgkPB/UOnJAA/Zx0JAA/uTGrlB/TM --------------------------------------------------------------------~-> Post message: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe : [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe : [EMAIL PROTECTED] List owner : [EMAIL PROTECTED] Homepage : http://proletar.8m.com/ Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/proletar/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! 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