The number of children visiting health centers to be immunized for pneumonia vaccine is on the rise. Just a few hours after the launch of the vaccine by the president of the republic of Kenya, President Mwai Kibaki, parents have started flocking in to hospital demanding the vaccine.
Jane Kaburu, sister in-charge of the Langata health center says the number of children in need of the pneumococcal vaccine (PCV10) is rapidly rising.
“We have immunized a total number of 564 under 1 year infants since the start of January 18th 2011 here in our health center. Last month alone the number was 361 children. Thus 203 children is a very pleasing number for the last two weeks” said Kaburu.
According to minister for public health and sanitation, Beth Mugo, is that all under five years children will be immunized the PCV10 vaccine. This will go simultaneous with the current children immunizations.
But things seem to pick a turn at the Langata health clinic, where only the under one year are immunized.
“We are forced to tell the parents whose children are over one year that only under one year children are the ones receiving the immunization. This is because if we administer all the under five children and the way they are flocking in, in many numbers, the vaccine that we have will not cater for them all,” explained kaburu.
The vaccine was only available in private hospital before, thus it was viewed as only for the rich families. Poor mothers whose children developed pneumonia disease had to watch them die because they couldn’t cater for the charges of a single dose that went for Kshs. 15,000.
But President Mwai Kibaki announced that the PCV10 vaccine will be given to the children free of charge nationally in all public health centers.
Thus Mothers now know that the vaccine is a life saving mechanism and have responded quite positively, says Kaburu.
Lilian Masinde 25 and a mother of four know the pains of losing a child to pneumonia. She didn’t hesitate when she heard the news of the vaccine thus she rushed her 11 months child to Langata health center to be immunized PCV10 vaccine.
“I couldn’t wait to see my child being immunized the new PCV10 vaccine after I lost other two to pneumonia disease. When the community health worker told me the news about the new vaccine, she requested me to bring my child for immunization and that is what I have done. I couldn’t wait and watch my child Flora die” said Masinde.
According to the CIA World Factbook, for 2010 is that Kenya Infant mortality rate is at 53 deaths in every 1,000 live births. This is a very high number of children who lose their lifes.
During the launch of the pneumococcal vaccine, president Kibaki said there is a great progress in the reduction of infant and five mortality rates as a result of government interventions.
“Infant and under five mortality rates have dropped from 74 and 115 in every 1000 live births in 2003 to 52 and 77 in every 1000 live births in 2008. Within the same period, the coverage for children fully immunized by their second birthday improved from 57 % to 77%,” said president Kibaki.
The interim CEO for the GAVI Alliance Helen Evans said pneumonia is a life threatening disease that has caused millions of infant lifes not only in Kenya but also in the world. She added that the Alliance is devoted to reducing mortality rate in the world with the Aid of willingness from developing countries.
“The roll out of the pneumococcal vaccine has become a reality across the world allowing developing country governments to reduce deaths and enable millions of children to grow up healthy”, said Helen Evans.
President kibaki added the government is geared to meeting the Millenium Goal number 4, which targets the reduction of infant and child mortality by 2/3rds by the year 2015. Saying these include immunization and integrated management of childhood diseases. Focusing ohn the five killer diseases namely; malaria, pneumonia, diarrohea, malnutrition and anaemia.
Therefore mothers should take their infants for immunization of not only the PCV10 vaccine but also the other rolled out immunizations in the country.