Children's health, a priority for the Cuban state

Cuban foreign minister Bruno Rodriguez said today that children's health is a priority for the Cuban state, as he highlighted the beginning of another stage of the anti-pneumococcal vaccination strategy for children.

On X, Cuban diplomat pointed out that the campaign, whose second phase began on Monday, is carried out with the Cuban vaccine Quimi-Vio, developed by the Finlay Vaccine Institute (IFV).

According to information from the Ministry of Public Health (Minsap), it is a multivalent vaccine that prevents against seven of the most infectious and highly prevalent serotypes of the pneumococcus bacteria (Streptococcus pneumoniae), which can cause invasive pneumococcal disease, mainly severe cases of acute meningitis, pneumonia or sepsis.

Dr. Lena Lopez Ambron, director of the National Immunization Program of Minsap, explained that this disease is transmitted from person to person, through respiratory droplets and secretions (when coughing or sneezing), and in a large part of the population, especially in children.

From October 14 to December 31 this year, a single dose of Quimi-Vio will be administered to two-year-old children throughout the country.