01 Mar Fight Against Pneumonia Stepped Up
Geoffrey Kamadi, OnIslam
Following wide consultations and debate, the Kenyan Ministry of Public Health and Sanitation (MoPHS) has finally settled on an official launch date for its new vaccine policy to combat pneumococcal disease in Kenyan children.
Pneumonia is a serious disease. According to World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates, Kenya has 235,000 serious cases of pneumonia and that 16,400 Kenyans die from the disease each year.
Despite the fact that an effective pneumonia vaccine has been around since the year 2000, this has not been accessible by the vast majority in the developing world owing to its prohibitive cost.
Efforts to reduce the price of the vaccine have included studies in both Kenya and The Gambia under the auspices of the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation (GAVI).