With pneumonia emerging as one of the leading causes of mortality amo-ng children under five years of age, the government is considering introduction of Pneumococcal vaccine in the Universal Immunisation Program-me (UIP). Taking its first foot forward, the government has asked the national technical advisory group on immunisation (NTAGI) to conduct a feasibility study on the vaccine so that it can be introduced in the country. The government has given three months to NTAGI that fulfils a need for informing decision-making concerning the introduction of new vaccines. “We have asked our technical committee to evaluate if Pneumococcal vaccine can be introduced in India. The feasibility study is expected to be completed in three months, following which we will take our final decision,” a senior official in the health ministry said. According to a 2014 report by Unicef, pneumonia and diarrhoea claimed more than 3,00,000 children in 2013. The 2014 pneumonia and diarrhoea progress report released by International Vaccine Access Centre (IVAC) suggested raising coverage of pneumonia treatment in the country. India has for the last few years intensified strategies to combat diseases affecting children through various interventions like introducing pentavalent vaccine for hib. Pneumonia and meningitis, rotavirus vaccine for diarrhoea and scaling up meansels vaccination. Health experts stress on the need for including pneumonia vaccine in the immunisation programme as nearly 25 per cent of the 1.4 million children below the age of five that die every year globally due to pneumonia are from India. Pneumonia is a bacterial infection that causes inflammation of lungs. The pneumococcal vaccine, however, is widely available and administered in the private sector. However, the cost of the vaccine is definitely a cause of concern for many, experts believe. “Four doses of pneumococcal conjugate vaccine can protect children from the deadly infection of pneumonia. The “high” cost of the vaccine is the major problem for not many parents opting for the vaccine. However, once it is introduced in routine immunisation programme, a lot of children will benefit, specially those in rural areas where children die due to lack of or delay in appropriate treatment,” said a senior doctor.