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Cuban tetravalent vaccine strengthens the National Immunization Program
José A. Acosta, Ernesto L. Mola, Ricardo S. Rodríguez, Boris E. Acevedo, Luis H. Martínez. Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, Havana , Cuba .
Havana March 7, 2005. After several years of integrated R&D efforts, the Finlay Institute (FI), the Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (CIGB) and the Center for Bioreagents (Biocen), Havana , Cuba , have overcome the huge challenge of supplying a safe tetravalent vaccine to the Cuban Immunization Program. The new combine vaccine Trivac-HB® will protect children from four lethal infectious diseases: diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough and hepatitis B.
"The tetravalent vaccine will be applied to children that were born after January 1 st 2005, except for those whose mothers are positive for hepatitis B, to which a different immunization schedule will be applied, with similar protection level", said Dr. Miguel Galindo, a prestigious authority at the National Immunization Program from the Public Health Minister. All newborns will receive the first dose of the hepatitis B vaccine. Trivac-HB® will be applied to 2 month-infants whose mothers are negative for hepatitis B. A second dose of Trivac-HB® will be applied at 4 months and the third one at 6 months. A booster shot with the triple vaccine DPT for diphtheria, tetanus and whooping cough will be applied to 18 month-infants.
The use of Trivac-HB® will allow a drastic reduction (>50%) in the number of injections for the immunization against diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough and hepatitis B. This vaccine can be applied along with BCG, OPV, IPV and yellow fever vaccines, if applied in different parts of the body by using different syringes. The protection level of Trivac-HB® is 95% against diphtheria and tetanus, 80% against whooping cough and 98% against hepatitis B. Cuban researchers are working at the CIGB and FI to develop a combine vaccine for protecting children against diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough, hepatitis B and Haemophilus influenzae type b.
The CIGB is looking for s trategic alliances in research and development from potential partners to speed up its R&D project Portfolio. The CIGB's negotiation Portfolio, involving 20 biomedical and agriculture projects, has been published in the Web site http://gndp.cigb.edu.cu , to facilitate the access to the medical community, companies and research institutions to the most up to date R&D advances at the CIGB.
For information: http://gndp.cigb.edu.cu or http://www.cigb.edu.cu
Contact: ernesto.lopez@cigb.edu.cu
Phone: (53-7) 2712397. |
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