The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said on Tuesday it would provide free 13-Valent Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccines (PCV13) from Jan. 1 to disadvantaged children under the age of five to help prevent the spread of pneumonia and meningitis.
The vaccine can build up strong immunity to the pneumococcal serotype 19A strain, which is a major threat to children, Centers for Disease Control Deputy Director-General Shih Wen-yih (施文儀) said.
PCV13 costs about NT$3,200 per dose, Shih said.
Children should have their first injection when they are between two months and six months old, their second and third shots under the age of two and a final dose between the ages of two and five, he said.
Taiwan recorded 737 cases last year. Four children, from a total of 224 cases in which the patients were under the age of five, died of the disease.
Disadvantaged children born after Jan. 1, 2007, will be eligible for one free shot of PCV13 even if they have already been vaccinated with earlier strains.
The CDC began sponsoring the vaccinations for 25,000 children from poor families and remote areas in 2009.
New Taipei City (新北市), Yilan County and Kinmen County provide free vaccinations for children aged between two and five, while Hsinchu County provides them for children aged between two and three, and Taipei City provides one vaccination to disabled children aged between two and five.
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