At the Congress of Pediatric Societies held in France last week, Pfizer announced the launch of a new vaccine for children against pneumococcal disease.
These infections include meningitis and pneumonia. Prevenar 13 now offers additional protection. While its predecessor, Prevenar, protected against 7 types of pneumococcal infections, Prevenar 13 covers six more, the most virulent and common.
The immunization schedule remains the same. It is always recommended to vaccinate children at two months, three months for premature babies and four months for at-risk children, with a booster vaccination at 12 months.
Those who started the vaccination schedule with Prevenar can continue with Prevenar 13 without any problem. The new vaccine is quite similar but more effective against other strains of infection.