5-in-1 vaccine a shot in the arm for Tamil Nadu

VELLORE: The pioneering initiative taken by Tamil Nadu when it launched a vaccine for measles in 1978 continues, with the launch of the pentavalent vaccine on Saturday in Vellore. The pentavalent vaccine helps the body fight against life-threatening diseases - diphtheria, pertusis, tetanus, hepatitis B and hib (Pneumonia and Meningitis). Professor Jacob John who has been associated with the vaccine programmes in the country for over four decades, told the correspondent on Saturday that MGR had obtained special permission from the Government of India to import the vaccine for measles through the Rotary Club network. “Impressed with the implementation of the measles vaccination programme in TN, the Central government, through the seventh five-year plan, approved the measles immunisation programme across the country in phases from 1985 onwards,” he noted.Tamil Nadu has now introduced the pentavalent vaccine as a trendsetter. Some companies such as Serum Institute in Pune, Panacea Biotech in Delhi and Shantha Labs in Hyderabed began manufacturing the pentavalent vaccine. CMC hospital introduced it in 2001. As many as 170 countries across the globe have already field-tested the vaccine.It took two years for the government to ascertain the safety and other related issues, before it gave its nod. The Government of India has approved the national launch of the vaccine in TN and Kerala.