Groundbreaking new vaccine will save lives in Somalia

A new vaccine launched in Somalia is one-jab armour against five preventable diseases. At the Medina Mother and Child Health Centre in Mogadishu, 6-month-old Abdul Wahab sleeps peacefully in his mother’s arms. Unbeknownst to him, Abdul has just become one of the first children in Somalia to have a jab that will protect him against five diseases – and greatly increase his chance of surviving past his fifth birthday. New pentavalent vaccine launched Vaccination rates in Somalia are low. The preliminary results for UNICEF’s Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey for 2011 show that only 11 per cent of children in Somaliland and 7 per cent in Puntland received three doses of the DTP vaccine before their first birthdays.* DTP protects against diphtheria, whooping cough and tetanus. The new pentavalent (five-in-one) vaccine was launched in Somalia on Wednesday, supported by UNICEF, WHO and the GAVI. The vaccine was launched at ceremonies in Mogadishu, Hargeisa (Somaliland) and...