Havana, Cuba.- Developed by the Finlay Institute, the vaccine will be registered under the trademark: Quimi-Vio and be available nationwide, explained Dagmar García, the center's director of Research, speaking to Prensa Latina.

Pneumococcal is the main cause of pneumonia and meningitis in infants. Although medicines to protect against this disease are available worldwide, Cuba has not been able to access them due to their high cost, he explained. According to García, after the effectiveness and safety of the vaccine had been established in extensive preclinical studies, clinical trials on humans began in 2014, in the central province of Cienfuegos, where over 5,000 children between one and five years of age have been immunized.

Havana's Juan Manuel Márquez Pediatric Hospital, breastfeeding infants aged between two and three months were also included in the trials.

Such efforts are evidence of the product's safety and the importance of its use within the country, as an example of effective collaboration between the Cuban biotechnology sector and national healthcare system, explained Darielys Santana, general coordinator of the project.

Quimi-Vio will therefore be added to Cuba's catalogue of infant vaccines, which already features 10 inoculations against 13 diseases, including diphtheria; mumps, measles, and rubella; and whooping cough; some of which are produced on the island, such as those against Tuberculosis; Hepatitis B, and a pentavalent vaccine.

The results of trials will be presented to the scientific community during the 28th Pediatrics Congress, beginning January 23, in Havana's International Convention Center. (Granma)

Twitter