2007-04-03 15:35:11 -
ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia, April 3 /PRNewswire/ --
- A Significant Step Forward to Protect Children Against Hib Pneumonia
and Meningitis
- Chronic Liver Disease Caused by Hepatitis B can now be Prevented
- An Estimated 1 in 25 Child Deaths Will be Averted
Spring marks the beginning of a series of activities launching a new
childhood vaccine in Ethiopia, which combines the benefits of the previous
diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis (DTP) vaccine and adds protection against
two
additional deadly killers: Haemophilus Influenzae type B (Hib) and
Hepatitis B. The Hib bacterium is a major cause of life-threatening pneumonia
and meningitis in children. Hepatitis B virus can cause chronic liver disease
and, in some cases, cancer later in life. This is a significant development
in a large country with high child mortality rates due to common, yet
preventable diseases.
(Logo:
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20070403/252284 )
Activities began with the announcement of the new vaccine in
the Somali region, an area where historically routine immunization has been
low, underlining the Ethiopian government's commitment to protecting its
children. It is estimated that one in seven Ethiopian children die before
they reach the age of five. Added protection against some of the most feared
diseases should give parents more reason to get their children vaccinated.
The vaccine, which is provided as a combination, replaces the old vaccine and
does not require additional injections or visits to benefit from the expanded
protection.
"We are proud to invest in life saving vaccines for our
country's children. We estimate that Hib vaccine can save the life of 1 of
every 25 children who die under the age of five. The vaccines will also help
prevent life-long disability from meningitis and chronic liver disease and
will prevent deaths caused by Hepatitis B," said Dr Kebede Worku, State
Minister for Health, Ethiopia.
It was no easy feat to bring these vaccines to Ethiopia. To be
eligible for funding from the GAVI Alliance, Ethiopia needed to routinely
vaccinate at least 50% of children. With significant education efforts and
commitment, 69% of Ethiopian children are fully immunized, according to 2005
WHO data and this has now grown to 72%. Hopefully, the number of children
protected will rise even further with the new vaccine.
"We are delighted that Ethiopia is introducing a new vaccine
which will protect Ethiopian children against Hib and Hepatitis B, as well as
DTP" said Julian Lob-Levyt, Executive Secretary of the GAVI Alliance. "This
'five in one' shot is one of the most advanced immunization products
available, enabling countries to make a large stride towards their health
targets. Ethiopia is demonstrating, through its sustainable introduction of
life-saving vaccines, its clear commitment to reaching the Millennium
Development Goals in health."
According to the WHO, Hib disease globally is responsible for
400,000 deaths each year in children under five years of age and around 3
million cases of serious illness resulting in long term consequences such as
deafness, learning disabilities, paralysis and mental retardation. Hepatitis
B is a serious global public health problem leading to an estimated one
million deaths each year. Of the 2 billion people worldwide who have been
infected, more than 350 million have chronic (lifelong) infections. These
chronically infected persons are at high risk of death from cirrhosis of the
liver and liver cancer.
The success of the new vaccines in young children has already
been demonstrated in a number of African countries. Studies in the Gambia,
Kenya and Malawi, countries which routinely vaccinate children with
pentavalent (the 'five in one') vaccine have already shown that Hib,
previously the leading cause of childhood bacterial meningitis, is almost
never seen among the cases of children contracting meningitis. This shows
that routine immunization programs are working.
"Hundreds of thousands of young children in Africa are dying
of Hib disease because of a lack of national Hib immunization programs", said
Dr. Thomas Cherian, Coordinator, Expanded Program on Immunization of the
World Health Organization (WHO) Immunization, Vaccines and Biologicals
Department. "The introduction of the pentavalent vaccine provides additional
protection to the children of Ethiopia not only against Hib disease, but also
against Hepatitis B."
"The introduction of this vaccine, which has been demonstrated
to be safe and highly effective under a wide variety of conditions, is such
an important step forward in reducing child mortality" said Dr. Rana Hajjeh,
Project Director, the Hib Initiative. "Now that the vaccine is available in
Ethiopia, we hope that even more parents will fully immunize their children,
reducing the threat of serious disease."
Notes to Editors
Hib and Hepatitis B
The Hib bacterium is the leading cause of meningitis in
children and one of two major causes of severe childhood pneumonia. Pneumonia
and meningitis caused by other bacteria such as the pneumococcus and
meningococcus (which causes meningitis only) will not be prevented by Hib
vaccine, but vaccines for these diseases will be available in the near
future.
Hepatitis B is a major cause of liver disease. Other types of
hepatitis can also cause disease, but vaccines are not available for these
types in Ethiopia.
Federal Democratic Republic Ministry of Health of Ethiopia
(MoH)
The Ministry of Health in Ethiopia is the federal
administration for health and health related issues established in 1967, with
a vision of maintaining health, productive and effective citizens in
Ethiopia.
World Health Organization (WHO)
The World Health Organization is the United Nations
specialized agency for health. It was established on 7 April 1948. WHO's
objective, as set out in its Constitution, is the attainment by all peoples
of the highest possible level of health. Health is defined in WHO's
Constitution as a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being
and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.
The GAVI Alliance
An alliance of all the major stakeholders in immunization, the
GAVI Alliance includes among its partners developing country and donor
governments, the World Health Organization (WHO), UNICEF, the World Bank, the
vaccine industry in both industrialized and developing countries, research
and technical agencies, NGOs, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. It is
estimated that more than 2.3 million early deaths will have been prevented as
a result of support by GAVI up to the end of 2006. GAVI's efforts are
critical to achieving the Millennium Development Goal on child health, which
calls for reducing childhood mortality by two-thirds by 2015. Of the more
than 10 million children who die before reaching their fifth birthday every
year, 2.5 million die from diseases that could be prevented with currently
available or new vaccines.
The Hib Initiative
Last year the GAVI Alliance launched a US$37 million program
called the Hib Initiative, which unites infectious disease experts from Johns
Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, the London School of Hygiene and
Tropical Medicine, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC),
and WHO to advance evidence-informed decision-making regarding the use of Hib
vaccine in the developing world. An estimated 3 million cases of Hib disease
occur each year in children under the age of 5 years, resulting in
approximately 400,000 deaths. For more information, please visit:
www.hibaction.org.
Photo:
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20070403/252284
Source: World Health Organization (WHO) AND Federal Democratic Republic Ministry of Health of Ethiopia (MoH)
