Saturday 17 January 2009, San José, Costa
Rica
Cinchona Is
Inhabitable, Experts Say
Western Union Forgives
Fees For Transfers To
Earthquake Victims
15% to 25% Hike In
Electrical Rates Approved
Salud Begins
Vaccination Program
Of Children Against
Pneumococcal Disease
AvVenta Expansion
Will Add 1.500 More Jobs
in Costa Rica
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Salud Begins
Vaccination Program
Of Children Against
Pneumococcal Disease
Hospital Nacional de
Niños yesterday the
began the vaccination of
children against the
pneumococcal disease. On
hand for the ceremony
was the ministra de
Salud, María Luisa
Ávila, the ministro de
Hacienda, Guillermo
Zúñiga, the head of the
Caja Costarricense de
Seguro Social, Eduardo
Doryan Garrón and Costa
Rican president, Oscar
Arias.
The vaccination program
is an investment by the
Caja Costarricense de
Seguro Social (CCSS) to
protect the population
from the Pneumococcal
disease, a leading cause
of serious illness in
children and adults in
Costa Rica and
throughout the world.
The program is part of
the Caja's 2009
investment of more that
280.000 dosis of the
vaccine costing some
us$8.7 million dollars.
"We are aiming to
vaccinate some 70.000
children a year in a
program of four dosis:
at two, four, six and 15
month intervals of all
children born after
September 1, 2008. For
those children born
before September 1, they
will get a vaccination
to bring them up to
date, which will be done
on a special day in the
last week of April when
all children under the
age of 2 years will get
vaccinated", explained
Caja president Doryan.
The vaccination will
take place at all CCSS
hospitals and Equipos
Básicos de Atención
Integral en Salud (Ebais)
- clinics - around the
country.
What is pneumococcal
disease?
Pneumococcal disease is
caused by a common
bacterium, the
pneumococcus, which can
attack different parts
of the body. When
bacteria invade the
lungs, they cause the
most common form of
community-acquired
bacterial pneumonia;
when bacteria invade the
bloodstream, they cause
bacteremia; and when
they invade the covering
of the brain, they cause
meningitis. Pneumococci
may also cause otitis
media (middle ear
infection) and
sinusitis. Currently
there are more than 90
known pneumococcal
types; the ten most
common types account for
approximately 62 percent
of invasive disease
worldwide.
Who is at risk?
Anyone can get
pneumococcal disease.
But some groups are at
particularly high risk
for pneumococcal disease
or its complications.
These groups include
persons aged 65 and
older; individuals with
weak immune systems due
to cancer, leukemia,
Hodgkin's disease or
human immunodeficiency
virus (HIV); persons
with sickle cell disease
or without a functioning
spleen; individuals who
have a chronic illness
such as lung, heart, and
kidney disease, diabetes
and alcoholism; persons
living in special
environments or
communities, such as
Alaskan Natives and
certain American Indian
populations; and
residents of chronic or
long-term care
facilities.
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