The pneumococcal vaccination opens for children of younger age
New Taipei City Mayor Eric Chu attended the meeting about expanding the children’s age range for pneumococcal vaccination from 2-5 year-old to 1-5 year-old children, hoping to protect the children in NTPC.
Chu indicated that NTPC released the free pneumococcal vaccine for 2-5 year-old children in 2008; then the nation followed the free pneumococcal vaccine policy in March 1, 2013. After knowing that NTPC had more than 34,000 of 1-2 year-old children, the government changed the policy, which is expanding the age range for pneumococcal vaccination from 2-5 year-old to 1-5 year-old children.
The children of 2-5 year-old are the most susceptible group of pneumococcal, and later is the one year old children. In order to decrease the infection rate of the pneumococcal, NTPC government invested more budgets on the vaccine, and provide the best health care for the children of 1-2 year-old.
According to the doctors from National Taiwan University Hospital, the pneumococcal is a very common bacterial, which can easily cause to several diseases including pneumonia, meningitis, and septicemia etc., and these diseases had been the biggest threat of children’s health. In this case, the government had been working hard on the new welfare policy, which will provide a better health for our next generation. In addition, several parents bring their kids to the meeting for vaccination.
The NTPC Public Health Department indicated that the free pneumococcal vaccine could not only safe NT$6,000 for the citizens, but also protects the citizens’ health.
