New vaccine protects Haitian children from five diseases

Haiti has recently introduced the pentavalent vaccine, a combination vaccine designed to protect children from five dangerous diseases. Jean-Pierre knows that vaccinating his daughter, Isabel, is one of the best gifts he can give her. The head of the family is familiar with tragedy and death because he has seen them up close in the last three years: during the devastating earthquake that ravaged Haiti in January 2010 and took the lives of over 220 000 people; as a result of the winds and rains of Hurricane Thomas in October 2010; and during the ongoing cholera epidemic that began in November 2010. Five-in-one vaccine Haiti is among the countries in the Americas with highest child mortality rates. The main causes are acute respiratory infections like pneumonia, diarrhoeal diseases, anaemia and chronic malnutrition. Vaccines are an effective way of preventing many of these diseases. The “five-in-one” pentavalent vaccine protects children from diphtheria, tetanus, whooping...