RECENT news reports said that more babies are receiving pneumococcal disease (PD) vaccinations.
It is heartening to note that more parents are aware of the danger of the disease, and are getting their children vaccinated against it.
An unfortunate child who is infected with PD may end up being hospitalised for a long time. This would put a heavy financial burden on his parents.
Or, worse, the child may die from the infection.
Although the PD vaccine is easily available, it is very costly and can be prescribed only by general practitioners and paediatricians.
The number of injections required varies according to the age of the child, but even the lowest number of jabs could easily cost parents more than $100.
Most parents would wish to protect their child from the disease.
However, with the economic downturn, many parents cannot afford the high cost of vaccination.
They can only hope that their child would be lucky enough to escape the infection.
I hope that the Ministry of Health can include the PD vaccine in the compulsory jabs for all children under three years old.
The injections can be made available in public hospitals and polyclinics at a lower cost.
Parents can then rest easy, knowing that their little ones are well protected against this life-threatening disease.
