11 May Who Would Have Imagined?
Posted at 11:53h
in News
Steve Landry, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Pneumococcal disease, a bacterial infection, is the most common cause of pneumonia. Pneumonia is the leading killer of children under five in Yemen, accounting for almost one-quarter of the country’s infant deaths.
The disease takes its highest toll among the poor, whose access to health care is limited. It is estimated that only half of Yemen’s population of more than 23 million have reasonable access to a health facility. There is good news to report, however. With the support of Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation (GAVI), Yemen introduced a new vaccine against pneumococcal disease in January of this year.