The Health Ministry has forwarded a proposal to introduce pentavalent combination vaccine for the cabinet approval so that it can be launched during the current financial year itself.

The pentavalent combination vaccine of DPT - Hepatitis B - Hib (Haemophilus influenzae b) will be introduced in five States -- namely, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu -- during 2009-10 to 2011-12, after the cabinet gives sanction to it, sources said.

Before submitting the proposal, the health ministry has already consulted with the suppliers of the combination vaccines and reportedly got the assurance from the domestic industry for adequate supply. Domestic tenders will be floated for procurement after the clearance from the Cabinet.

The expenditure finance committee has already approved the proposal and sanctioned Rs 400 crore for the project. The health ministry is also seeking funds from the World Bank for the project. The proposal has been pending for a long time and was to be introduced from April this year.

A single shot of the vaccine has antigens of five diseases -Diphtheria, Pertussis, Tetanus, Hepatitis B and HIB. National Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (NTAGI) recommended its introduction two years ago. Last year, the Health Ministry had decided to introduce it as an HIB vaccine so as to protect children against Haemophilus Influenza type B (HIB), the bacteria which causes illnesses like meningitis, pneumonia and septic arthritis. So far, more than 130 countries have shifted to pentavalent vaccines, while India still uses tetravalent vaccines in its National Immunisation Programme.

According to the health ministry, the pentavalent vaccines provide the opportunity to improve immunization rates through better compliance. Kids are spared of more shots because more vaccine antigens can be given at single visit. Original proposal was to introduce it in ten States, but now it has been decided to launch it in only five States as the authorities have apprehensions about the supply. The common pentavalent vaccines available in the market include Bharat Biotech International's (BBIL) COMVAC5 and Sanofi Aventis' Pentaxim.