British Columbia first in Canada to include Prevnar 13 in routine child immunization program

May 21 2010

Prevnar(R) 13 provides broadest coverage available against serious strains of invasive disease

British Columbia is leading the way in vaccinations to protect children from serious disease. The province is the first in Canada to include Prevnar 13, the vaccine that provides the broadest coverage available against Streptococcus pneumoniae that may cause invasive pneumococcal disease, in the routine child immunization program.

Prevnar 13 provides coverage against six additional strains of Streptococcus pneumoniae that may cause invasive pneumococcal disease to the seven strains that were included in the previous vaccine, Prevnar (7-valent) which has been used in the province since 2003. Vaccination with Prevnar 13 will begin on June 1.

"The Government of British Columbia has demonstrated its leadership by providing its youngest citizens with the broadest possible protection against Streptococcus pneumoniae, the bacteria that may cause life-threatening pneumococcal disease," said John Helou, General Manager of Pfizer Specialty Care in Canada. "Through the Ministry of Healthy Living and Sport and the BC Centre for Disease Control, the province is setting a national standard for excellence in public health. Pfizer is committed to working with other provinces and territories to ensure that all of Canada's children have access to the same level of protection."

One of the Streptococcus pneumoniae strains that will now be covered by Prevnar 13 is 19A, which is currently the most common strain for invasive disease in children. Data from Quebec has demonstrated that the strain caused 48 per cent of all residual invasive pneumococcal diseases in children under five during 2008, almost double the rate of 26 per cent the year before. The inclusion of 19A in Prevnar 13, in addition to the five other serotypes seen frequently in Canadian children offers the potential for improved prevention and control of invasive pneumococcal disease.

"The addition of Prevnar 13 to the routine childhood immunization schedule is an important step in protecting our children from potentially serious disease and I commend the Government of British Columbia for its decision," said Dr. David Scheifele, Director of the Vaccine Evaluation Center at BC Children's Hospital and the University of British Columbia, Vancouver. "I hope British Columbia's leadership will encourage other provinces to follow suit, so more Canadian children can benefit from additional coverage against invasive pneumococcal disease."

In Canada, pneumococcal vaccination programs have significantly reduced vaccine-preventable strains of Streptococcus pneumoniae. Three years following the vaccine's introduction in Canada, there was a 93 per cent reduction in vaccine-type pneumococcal disease in some regions.