Context: Recently, the Serum Institute of India Pvt. Ltd, Pune, has been granted permission to manufacture the first indigenously developed Pneumonia Conjugate Vaccine (PCV) i.e. Pneumococcal Polysaccharide.
Key Points

• The permission has been granted by the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI), a drug regulatory authority.
• This vaccine is used for active immunisation against invasive disease and pneumonia caused by “streptococcus pneumonia” in infants.
• India is planning for the nationwide rollout of PCV under Universal Immunisation Programme (UIP).

About Pneumonia

• It is an infection in one or both lungs.The infection causes inflammation in the air sacs in your lungs which are called alveoli.The alveoli fill with fluid or pus making it difficult to breathe.
• It is caused by a number of infectious agents, including viruses, bacteria and fungi.
• Its Symptoms: High fever and chills, cough with phlegm, physical weakness and a feeling of being unwell, shortness of breath and rapid breathing and a racing pulse.

Transmission

• The viruses and bacteria that are commonly found in a child’s nose or throat can infect the lungs if they are inhaled.
• They may also spread via air-borne droplets from a cough or sneeze.
• It may also spread through blood especially during and shortly after birth.
• Treatment: Pneumonia is both preventable and treatable.

Initiatives against Pneumonia

• Integrated Global Action Plan for Pneumonia and Diarrhoea (GAPPD): It was launched by WHO and UNICEF in 2009.It aims to end preventable childhood deaths due to pneumonia and diarrhoea by 2025.
• Social Awareness and Action to Neutralise Pneumonia Successfully (SAANS) campaign: It was launched by the Union Health Ministry to mobilise people to protect children from pneumonia and train health personnel and other stakeholders to provide prioritised treatment to control the disease.

About Streptococcus Pneumonia 

• Streptococcus pneumoniae (pneumococcus) is a Gram-positive bacterium that is responsible for the majority of community-acquired pneumonia.
• It is a commensal organism in the human respiratory tract, meaning that it benefits from the human body, without harming it.
• However, in susceptible individuals with weaker immune systems, such as the elderly and young children, the bacterium may become pathogenic and spread to other locations to cause disease. 
• Many people carry the bacteria in their nose and throat without becoming ill. Streptococcus pneumoniae is spread from person to person by inhaling or direct exposure to the bacteria droplets through coughing or sneezing from an infected person.
• The contagious period varies and may last for as long as the organism is present in the nose and throat. A person can no longer spread S. pneumoniae after taking the proper antibiotics for 1-2 days.