Investigators: Deborah Lehmann, Peter Jacoby, Peter Richmond
Project description
Approximately 800,000 children die annually from pneumococcal disease worldwide, the majority in early infancy. Pneumococcal conjugate vaccines (PCVs) have been introduced into routine immunization programs in many industrialised countries and an increasing number of third world countries. The Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation (GAVI) and the World Health Organization (WHO) have committed to the introduction of PCV for infants in GAVI-eligible countries (including PNG). No pneumococcal vaccine was available in PNG until 13vPCV was distributed in 2014.
The primary aim of this study, which began in November 2011, is to determine whether the 10-valent (PCV10; includes Haemophilus influenzae protein D as a carrier protein) and 13-valent (PCV13) pneumococcal conjugate vaccines (which include 10 or 13 pneumococcal serotypes, respectively) given in a 1-2-3-month schedule are safe and immunogenic in Papua New Guinean infants.