Dr. Concepción Campa, member of the Cuban Politburo and director of the Finlay Institute, announced yesterday that, next year, the first clinical testing of a vaccine against the pneumococcus will begin in Cuba.

In a round-table on the advances of Cuban biotechnology, during the Global Forum on Health Research that is being held in this capital, Dr. Campa highlighted that the conjugated hepta valent vaccine, is being developed by that institution and the Center of Biomolecular Chemistry.

Specialized literature points out that the pneumococcus is an almost exclusively human pathogen, causing several infections (pneumonia, sinusitis, peritonitis, among others) and severe invasive processes, like meningitis and septicemia, particularly in old people, children and immunodeficient people.

Campa highlighted that they had obtained the pre-qualification from the World Health Organization to put these immunogens, not just at the disposition of Cuba, but also for other nations.

She reiterated the impact that the ten or more vaccines they have developed have had on the national public health in the last twenty years, which have significantly reduced infant mortality.

During the day, Gill Samuels, president of the Council of the Foundation of the Global Forum, which is drawing to an end, praised the Cuban focus directed at both health and education.