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Yemeni parents welcome pneumococcal vaccine

Premier Ali Mohamed Mujawr describes Yemen's introduction of pneumococcal vaccines as "a quantum leap in combating disease and death". Pneumococcal disease is the primary cause of Yemen's number child killer -- pneumonia.

  • At the busy Zahrawi medical center in Sana’a, the number of children vaccinated per day has soared from 500 to 700 as parents rush to protect their children from pneumonia -- responsible for 20% of Yemen's child deaths.
  • Health workers in vaccination centres across the country keep records of the number of pneumococcal injections administered to children.
  • At the Al-Sabeen Hospital in Sana’a, one year-old Mohamad Ahmed is recovering from pneumonia. "If I have another child, I will make sure, they get the new vaccine," says his mother Fatima.
  • Nashtan Gamal, aged two-and-a-half, may have meningitis, which is often fatal, and can leave survivors permanently disabled. The new pneumococcal vaccines protect children against the main cause of meningitis: streptococcus pneumoniae.
  • When Ahmad was a baby, his father Ali Abdulla was too busy to travel 30 km for his son to be vaccinated. As the four-year-old recovers from pneumonia, Ali says his next child will be vaccinated no matter how far to the local health centre.
  • Jamila, a volunteer health worker in the remote village of Bani, teaches mothers to recognise the first signs of pneumonia, what actions to take if their babies get sick and why prevention is better than cure.
  • GAVI funds support the maintenance of Yemen's national network of 3,000 refrigerators which keep pneumococcal vaccines from extreme temperatures. Moist salty air from Yemen's long coastline frequently causes the fridges to rust.
  • This mother has walked for over an hour to bring her sick baby to the Al Aghmour health centre. Only half of Yemen's 23 million population live within reach of healthcare, making the prevention of disease especially important.
  • Vaccination day at the health unit in Bait Numeer, south-east of Sana’a. Yemen's Ministry of Health launched a nationwide campaign to inform parents about the new pneumococcal vaccines.
  • "We wanted to create momentum, so people would understand how necessary it is to have their babies vaccinated," said Dr. Magid Al Gunaid, Deputy Minister for Primary Health Care.
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Last updated: 30 Sep 2019