Iran Planning to Produce Vaccines for Meningitis, Pneumonia

Meningitis is one of the common diseases in the country, which affects 7,079 people every year, Mostafa Ghaneyee, the secretary general of the Biotechnology Development Headquarters, said.

Pointing out that vaccine development in this field is on the agenda, he said, “Vaccination of adolescents aged 11 to 12 years and a booster dose at 16 years old is recommended.”

Ghaneyee also referred to the prevalence of pneumonia, which is reported from 2.1 percent to 5.21 percent in the country.

“Every year, 4.5 million people in the country get infected with the disease, and during epidemic periods, we see a 57 percent increase in the cost of prescribing antibiotics,” he went on to say.

In this field, vaccines are being produced, he highlighted.

Meningitis targets the protective membrane of the brain and spinal cord, he said, adding that the risk of contracting this disease includes the age group of infants to adults.

Intravenous antibiotics are prescribed generally for the treatment of bacterial meningitis, and recently corticosteroids are prescribed, while ceftriaxone and chloramphenicol are effective antibiotics in bacterial meningitis, Ghaneyee explained.

He touched on the plans implemented by knowledge-based companies, noting that bacterial meningitis and pneumococcal vaccines are among the achievements of these companies.

“Moreover, phage therapy, antimicrobial peptides, phytase, cellulitic enzymes, and phytogenics have been introduced,” he further said.

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