Maputo, Mozambique — Mozambique's Expanded National Vaccination Programme (PAV) is to introduce into its normal schedule beginning July, a vaccine against hepatitis B for children under 11 months of age.

The move is estimated to cost about four million US dollars a year, and the money would come from the "Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation" (GAVI) for the next five years.

Speaking to reporters, National Health Director Alexandre Manguele said studies show a high rate of hepatitis B infection in Mozambique, but gave no figures.

He explained that most infections occur at an early age, hence the decision to target children before their first birthday.

He said that health authorities had long wanted to introduce the vaccine, but were only now doing so thanks to funding from GAVI.

Manguele said that immunisation against hepatitis B would be in combination with the other vaccines administered under the PAV, to help save on logistics.

He explained that this vaccination would be progressively administered across the country, starting in the south and moving to the central, then the northern regions.