New vaccine to fight pneumococcal diseases introduced in Sierra Leone

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http://www.awoko.org/2011/01/26/new-vaccine-to-fight-pneumococcal-diseases-introduced-in-sierra-leone/

"A new pneumococcal vaccine to prevent diseases such as pneumonia and meningitis among children under the age of one is being introduced today in Sierra Leone. About 250,000 children from every part of the country will benefit from this intervention as part of the routine immunization schedule. This is good news, as children will not have to make an extra visit to the health facility to receive this vaccine. Health workers have also been trained to manage sharps and waste in a responsible way.

Pneumonia is estimated to kill nearly two million children every year; it is responsible for approximately 18 per cent of the more than ten million annual childhood deaths worldwide.

Serious pneumococcal infections are a major global health problem. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that more than 1.6 million people, including approximately 800,000 children under 5 years old, die every year from pneumococcal infections. Nearly all these deaths occur in the world’s poorest countries. Pneumococcal meningitis is the most severe form of pneumococcal disease and one of the most fatal childhood illnesses. In developing countries, it kills or disables 40 to 70 per cent of the children who get the disease.

The Global Alliance for Vaccination and Immunization (GAVI), in collaboration with the Government of Sierra Leone, UNICEF, WHO and some non-governmental organizations, has funded the procurement of 800,000 doses of the vaccines worth almost $ 2 million for 2011. There is also commitment from GAVI to provide this vaccine for four more years, up to 2015, subject to government co-funding 10 per cent of the total cost of vaccine and good performance.

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Good news...

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