In its five years immunization plan, the Child Health Division (CHD) aims to introduce pneumococcal vaccines by 2014. But with the government missing the deadline, the launch of pneumococcal vaccination drive seems pretty unlikely within the stipulated timeframe. [break]
The Ministry of Health and Population (MoHP) was asked to submit a proposal for the launch of pneumococcal vaccination drive to the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (GAVI) by last May 15. However, the MoHP failed to submit its proposal.
“Chances were high for the approval of Nepal´s proposal this year had it not missed the deadline,” says a doctor, who works for the United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) in Nepal. “The fate of Nepal´s proposal is uncertain in the years to come.”
The GAVI, initiated and supported by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, a philanthropic venture of one of the world´s richest persons, Bill Gate, has been supporting developing countries for children immunization programs. In Nepal, the GAVI provides various kinds of vaccines for child immunization through the UNICEF.
However, the MoHP officials argue that their failure in submitting the proposal would not hamper children immunization plan. “We had no plan for introducing pneumococcal vaccines right away,” Dr Shyam Raj Upreti, director of the CHD, said. “Therefore, our long term immunization plan may not be affected in any way.”
The MoHP secretary Dr Sudha Sharma told Republica that they are still assessing the cost-effectiveness of pneumococcal vaccines. “The GAVI will support us only for a certain period,” Dr Sharma said. “I wonder what would happen when it stops supplying these vaccines. Once we start a vaccination drive, we can not discontinue it halfway just because of the lack of funds. We must seriously think of it beforehand.”
A dose of pneumococcal vaccine costs around $ 3.5, for which Nepal needs to contribute only 20 cents. Each newborn child needs to be administered this vaccine thrice. At present, around 650,000 children are born in Nepal every year, according to a projection by the Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS). Therefore, Nepal requires around two million doses of pneumococcal vaccines every year.
Although Nepal has already mixed up a component for saving children from homophiles influenza, which also causes pneumonia, into a set of pentavalent vaccines, which are administered against several diseases including tetanus and hepatitis B, there is no vaccination drive that effectively tackles pneumonia as of now.
Pediatricians say Nepal can not reduce newborns and under-five children death rates without fiercely fighting pneumonia. Pneumonia, along with several types of infection, causes 36 per cent of newborn deaths in Nepal, says Dr Ashish KC, health and nutrition program manager at the Save the Children International.
According to a recent report prepared by the National Planning Commission (NPC), 41 out of every 1,000 children die within the first year of their births. And, doctors say pneumonia is one of the major causes of such a high under-one mortality rate.
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