KATHMANDU, Oct 8: Children across the country will be immunized with three new vaccines within the current fiscal year, thanks to the Ministry of Health and Population (MoHP) that has included additional shots in the regular immunization list. Child Health Division (CHD) under the Department of Health Services (DoHS) stated that children will be immunized with inactivated polio vaccine (IPV), additional dose of measles-rubella vaccine and pneumococcal vaccine by the end of 2014 as part of the regular immunization program. With three new vaccines in regular immunization list, number of vaccines the MoHP provides to children free of cost has now reached 13. "We have included three new vaccines in the regular immunization list," said Dr Shyam Raj Upreti, director of CHD, adding that the government aimed to reduce existing child mortality rate caused by those diseases. Officials at CHD said that the office has already launched IPV vaccine throughout the country. The vaccine will be administered to children up to 14 weeks of age. Apart from IVP, children will also be administered oral polio drops, CHD stated. The World Health Organization (WHO) had declared the country polio-free in February this year. "But that does not mean that we are not at the risk of polio infection,” Dr Upreti said, adding the new vaccine has been introduced as part of polio endgame strategy. The government has committed to eradicate polio virus from the country by 2024 and has prepared a polio endgame strategic plan. The MoHP has been providing three doses of oral polio vaccines to children under the age of one. Each dose of vaccine comprises all three types of anti-polio virus (P1, P2 and P3). Dr Upreti said that P2 vaccine is riskier than P1 and P3 type, which could itself spread polio infection. "Inactivated polio vaccine reduces the risk of polio infection caused by P2 virus,” he informed. CHD stated that the IPV quickly boosts childhood immunity to polio and prevents polio outbreak in the country. Polio is caused by acute viral infection and it mainly affects children under the age of five. It invades the nervous system and can cause total paralysis. CHD officials further said that they are working to introduce pneumococcal vaccine for children under its regular immunization program by November this year. Director Upreti hopes that the number of deaths caused by pneumonia would decline once the vaccine is introduced. According to Dr Upreti, pneumonia is the main killer of children under five years of age and the disease claims over 5,600 lives every year in Nepal. He added that when one is infected with pneumonia the lungs get inflamed and filled with fluid causing cough and making it harder to breathe. The office said that all the children under the age of one will ultimately get three doses of the vaccine under the regular immunization program. CHD further informed that children will also get additional dose of measles-rubella vaccine under the regular immunization program. The MoHP, which has been providing single dose of measles-rubella vaccine, said that additional dose of vaccine is needed to get rid of the disease. Apart from that CHD has been mulling to immunize school girls of Chitwan and Kaski districts with Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) vaccine to minimize the risks of cervical cancer among women. The two districts have been selected as pilot projects. If the program yields positive impact the national wide campaign would be launched to curb the disease, the office added. Cervical cancer is the most common form of cancer among women. Annually, in Nepal, there are an estimated 1,100 deaths due to cervical cancer.