health corner

New vaccine for pneumonia

Wyeth,a subsidiary of Pfizer Inc in India,has launched Prevenar 13,its advanced pneumococcal conjugate vaccine that protects infants and young children from pneumococcus,a bacteria that causes pneumonia,meningitis and sepsis.“Prevenar 13,built on the scientific foundation of Prevenar,provides the broadest serotype coverage of any pneumococcal conjugate vaccine,” Wyeth managing director Kewal Handa says. “It includes the seven serotypes in Prevenar,plus six additional serotypes,which together represent the most prevalent invasive disease-causing strains in children.” Dr Shishir Modak,president,IAP Pune,says,“Pneumonia has been identified as one of the leading causes of infant deaths in our country. It is important to vaccinate your child against this deadly disease as it can result in serious long-term damage.”

Free retinopathy camp

Aditya Birla Hospital is organising a free diabetic retinopathy screening camp in Pune. This is for persons who are afflicted with diabetes or have decreased eye sight. The camp is going to be held till September 30,between 9 am and 5 pm (Monday – Saturday) at the Ophthal OPD in the hospital.

AIT blood donation camp

A blood donation camp was conducted at the Army Institute of Technology (AIT) as a part of its NSS activities on September 16. The team,headed by Dr Sumathi Hiregoudar and comprising eight medical assistants,collected blood from 100 donors on the day. Such camps are a part of a long-standing tradition at the college and are held twice every year.