Storage, dosage and schedule of PCV10

PCV10 is a freeze-sensitive vaccine, which must be stored in the refrigerator between +2^oC to +8^oC. You should keep the vials on the same shelf of the refrigerator as the vials of pentavalent vaccine because they are given to infants at the same immunization session. The liquid PCV10 does not contain any preservative, so once you have opened a vial, any unused vaccine should be discarded after six hours and not returned to the refrigerator.

The vaccination schedule for PCV10 (Synflorix) is the same as for the pentavalent vaccine: three doses are given at 6, 10 and 14 weeks of age by intramuscular (IM) injection into the right outer upper thigh muscle (the opposite thigh to the pentavalent vaccine). The dosage for each vaccination with PCV10 is 0.5 ml. The vaccine is a liquid that comes in two-dose vials.

Any child who presents to a health facility for vaccination who is aged less than one year old is eligible to receive PCV10 vaccine if they missed the primary series of doses at 6, 10 and 14 weeks. Children should receive all three doses of PCV10 by their first birthday, but if a child starts their first dose of PCV10 at the age of 11 months, they should complete the remaining two doses at intervals of four weeks. Table 2.5 (on the next page) shows the schedule for PCV10 immunizations for children who have already started the series of pentavalent vaccine doses.

Table 2.5  PCV10 vaccination schedule for children who have received 0 or 1-3 pentavalent vaccine doses