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.
- 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.
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."
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 $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: hibaction.
Hib Initiative
hibaction
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