Arthur Okwemba
26 June 2009
Nairobi — Kenya is set to introduce a free anti-pneumonia vaccine to fight the leading killer of children in the country.
The rolling out of the vaccine programme will be significant as it will be the first time parents, who have been unable to afford the close to Sh12,000 charged by private hospitals for the recommended three doses, will get it at no cost.
For the private sector, this is bad news as they will have to reduce their prices to attract customers, who are likely to shift to the government programme.
Health experts are excited as the vaccine will help avert the death of more than 30,000 children every year due to pneumonia attacks and complications. The majority of victims are from poor backgrounds.
This new development comes following acceptance of the government's proposal by the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation (GAVI).
Under the new arrangement, known as Advance Market Commitment, this vaccine will be sold to countries like Kenya at US$3.50 (Ksh 280) per dose.
The deal is even sweeter for the country since GAVI will meet US$14.55 (Sh1,164) of the US$15 (Sh1,200) total cost of three doses while the government is to contribute a paltry US$0.45 (Sh36) under the agreement.
"GAVI has agreed to support us and now we are finalising the legal, financial and regulatory procedures before the vaccine is delivered to us," said Tatu Kamau, the head of the Division of Vaccines and Immunisation.
The first batch of the vaccine is expected in the country early next year. The vaccine, which is registered for use locally, has been available at few leading private hospitals at exorbitant prices.
Although highly preventable when a vaccine is used, pneumonia is the leading cause of death among children aged under five years in districts where malaria is not endemic.
It is rated the second childhood killer in malaria-endemic areas such as Kilifi, Kisumu, Kakamega, Kabarnet and Migori districts.
The government expects the introduction of the vaccine to cut by 70 per cent childhood pneumonia-related deaths.
Globally, pneumonia accounts for one in every four child deaths, making it the leading cause of death among children in poor countries, according to GAVI.
In early 2007, the World Health Organisation (WHO) recommended the inclusion of pneumococcal conjugate vaccines in national immunisation programmes, particularly in countries with under-five mortality of greater than 50 deaths per 1,000 live births or more than 50,000 child deaths annually. It also proposed their inclusion in countries where HIV is a significant cause of death.
Struggling
Kenya's under-five child mortality stands at a high of 115 deaths per 1,000 live births, according to the Kenya Demographic Health Survey 2003. The United Nations Children's Fund put it at 127 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2007.
The good news on the pneumonia front, however, comes when the country is struggling to find resources for procuring another vaccine to prevent the rotavirus that causes severe diarrhoea, vomiting, fever, dehydration and eventually death if not managed well.
WHO estimates that 7,541 children die in Kenya every year due to rotavirus infection.
The vaccine, which is available on the local market, can only be accessed at private hospitals at Sh5,200 for the recommended two doses.
With such a charge, it has so far remained accessible only to those who can afford it, leaving out millions of poor children.
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