From today, Somali children will receive the pentavalent vaccine, a
combination of five vaccines in one against diphtheria, tetanus,
pertussis (whooping cough), hepatitis B and Haemophilus influenzae type B
(Hib) - the bacteria that cause meningitis, pneumonia and other
illnesses, all of which are highly prevalent. The vaccine will be part
of Somalia's routine immunisation programme.
More than 1.3 million doses of pentavalent vaccine have been provided
to Somalia for 2013 and will be used to immunise children under one
year of age. Pentavalent vaccines will be delivered to the 425,000
children born each year in Somalia through existing health structures as
well as community health workers at district level. Each child will
require three doses of the vaccine.
The launch of the new vaccine takes place in Mogadishu, Garowe
(Puntland) and Hargeisa (Somaliland) and will be attended by government
leaders and representatives from the GAVI Alliance, UNICEF and WHO.
"Somalia has one of the lowest immunisation rates in the world," said
Dr Seth Berkley, GAVI CEO. "The country's health system has been
destroyed after more than 20 years of conflict and thousands of children
are not protected against killer diseases. This situation is
unacceptable - every child deserves to be protected - and that's why
GAVI and its donors have committed substantial funding to Somalia until
2016."
We urge all parents, community, traditional and religious leaders to
participate in the immunisation activity, to ensure all children of
Somalia can benefit from the protection offered.
The launch of the vaccine is being accompanied by an outreach
campaign to make parents aware of the importance of the new vaccine
which replaces the DTP vaccine for diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis
(whooping cough).
A recent household survey carried out by
UNICEF and the relevant Ministries, found only 7% of children in
Puntland and 11% of children in Somaliland had received the required
three doses of DTP by their first birthday.
"It is crucial that this vaccine reaches every Somali child in the
country," said Sikander Khan, UNICEF Somalia Representative. "We urge
all parents, community, traditional and religious leaders to participate
in the immunisation activity, to ensure all children of Somalia can
benefit from the protection offered."
1:5 children dies before their fifth birthday
Continued conflict in Somalia has resulted in the country having
child and maternal mortality rates among the highest in the world; one
in every five Somali children dies before their fifth birthday.
The introduction of pentavalent vaccine means that for the first time
Somali children will be protected against one of the causes of
pneumonia, which is one of the leading causes of child deaths. It is the
first time in 35 years that children in Somalia are being offered a
vaccination that protects them against additional diseases apart from
diphtheria, pertussis (whooping cough), tetanus, measles, polio and
tuberculosis which they already receive.
"Both Hib and hepatitis B are of public health importance," said Dr
Marthe Everard, World Health Organization Representative in Somalia.
"There is little data on the epidemiologic burden of hepatitis B and Hib
disease, or on the burden of diseases from meningitis or pneumonia, but
data from neighbouring countries and the developing world indicate that
Hib is a leading cause of acute bacterial meningitis and an important
cause of severe pneumonia."
71st GAVI-eligible country to introduce pentavalent
Somalia is the 71st GAVI-eligible country to introduce the
pentavalent vaccine - others include Afghanistan, the Democratic
People's Republic of Korea, East Timor, Pakistan and Yemen. By the end
of 2014, all 73 GAVI-eligible countries will have introduced it.
The launch of the five-in-one pentavalent vaccine in Somalia takes
place on the eve of the Global Vaccine Summit in Abu Dhabi, co-hosted by
His Highness General Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan,
Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi; Bill Gates, co-chair of the Bill &
Melinda Gates Foundation; and Ban Ki-moon, United Nations
Secretary-General. In partnership with GAVI, the Summit will celebrate
progress in immunising children against polio and other life-threatening
diseases.
The launch coincides with World Immunization Week as well as the
African Vaccination Week. During this week, UNICEF and WHO will conduct a
nationwide polio immunisation campaign in Somalia to protect children
from life-long paralysis caused by the disease.
GAVI is funded by governments [Australia, Canada, Denmark,
France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway,
Republic of Korea, Russia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom,
United States], the European Commission, the Bill & Melinda Gates
Foundation, as well as private and corporate partners [Absolute Return
for Kids, Anglo American plc., The Children's Investment Fund
Foundation, Comic Relief, Dutch Postcode Lottery, His Highness Sheikh
Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, JP Morgan, "la Caixa" Foundation, LDS Charities and
Vodafone].