A new milestone in pneumonia prevention
Friday, 29 June 2007
Dr. M.R. Khan, Dr. Zulfiqar Bhutta and Dr. Nitin K. Shah
Throughout South Asia, newspapers often highlight the risks posed by HIV/AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis. But among our children, a graver threat remains ignored by the headlines. In India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh, pneumonia kills more children under five than the rest of these diseases combined, yet it continues to receive only a fraction of the attention.
Globally, pneumonia is responsible for the deaths of two million children each year, more than one third of whom live in South Asia. But one of the most pressing challenges in fighting pneumonia has been identifying its cause. For years, doctors have suspected that Haemophilus influenzae type B (Hib), and Streptococcus pneumoniae - two pneumonia causing bacteria - were major contributors to child mortality. The truth remained unclear because routine surveillance could not always detect what caused specific cases.
Today, the answer is becoming clear. A new study published this week in the Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal finally confirms that Hib is responsible for a significant portion of severe childhood pneumonia. Similar data from a 2002 study in India demonstrated that Hib is a major cause of childhood pneumonia there as well.
Now that this study has confirmed that Hib is a major killer, it is time for governments across South Asia to move quickly to adopt a promising Hib vaccine that has the potential to save millions of lives. The Hib vaccine has the potential to significantly lower infant mortality rates. In South Asia, it could prove highly effective in preventing pneumonia and reducing the impact of bacterial meningitis, another deadly disease caused by the Hib bacteria, which, if untreated, can lead to death or permanent disabilities in young children.
There is little doubt this promising vaccine works. In the new study published the other, more than 68,000 children in the Bangladeshi capital, Dhaka, were given the vaccine, which was shown to prevent one-third of life-threatening pneumonia cases in children under the age of two. The Hib vaccine also prevented approximately 90 per cent of Hib-related meningitis.
The international community supports Hib vaccination. Last year, the World Health Organisation issued an official position paper recommending that all countries implement Hib vaccine programme. Bangladesh, Pakistan and other South Asian countries - including Afghanistan, Sri Lanka and Bhutan - have now taken the lead in introducing Hib vaccination. They have applied for funding from the GAVI Alliance, an international vaccine donor, and are working to introduce the vaccine in their countries.
India is currently considering whether to adopt the Hib vaccine, but it has not yet made a decision. We hope India soon follows the lead of its neighbours. This new study should motivate all South Asian nations to adopt the Hib vaccine and to work with advocates and international donors to implement vaccination programmes as quickly as possible.
Childhood vaccination programmes are a crucial step toward eradicating diseases. Hib vaccination has been identified as an important preventive tool for reducing child mortality in developing countries. Vaccines can help our nations ensure the health of our children and move us closer to reaching the United Nations Millennium Development Goal to reduce childhood death by two-thirds before the year 2015. Together we can take dramatic strides toward reducing child mortality across the region.
Though we are pediatricians of different nationalities we share a common duty to protect the health and safety of our children. Diseases know no borders, and to halt infections, every country must contribute to the global effort to stop disease. By working together to implement programmes like Hib vaccination, we are all protecting the health of our most vulnerable citizens.
Among the writers National Professor Dr. M.R. Khan is the Director of Pediatrics at the Institute of Child Health in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Dr. Zulfiqar Bhutta is the Chairman of the Department of Pediatrics at Aga Khan University in Karachi, Pakistan. Dr. Nitin K. Shah was the 2006 President of the Indian Academy of Pediatrics.
Throughout South Asia, newspapers often highlight the risks posed by HIV/AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis. But among our children, a graver threat remains ignored by the headlines. In India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh, pneumonia kills more children under five than the rest of these diseases combined, yet it continues to receive only a fraction of the attention.
Globally, pneumonia is responsible for the deaths of two million children each year, more than one third of whom live in South Asia. But one of the most pressing challenges in fighting pneumonia has been identifying its cause. For years, doctors have suspected that Haemophilus influenzae type B (Hib), and Streptococcus pneumoniae - two pneumonia causing bacteria - were major contributors to child mortality. The truth remained unclear because routine surveillance could not always detect what caused specific cases.
Today, the answer is becoming clear. A new study published this week in the Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal finally confirms that Hib is responsible for a significant portion of severe childhood pneumonia. Similar data from a 2002 study in India demonstrated that Hib is a major cause of childhood pneumonia there as well.
Now that this study has confirmed that Hib is a major killer, it is time for governments across South Asia to move quickly to adopt a promising Hib vaccine that has the potential to save millions of lives. The Hib vaccine has the potential to significantly lower infant mortality rates. In South Asia, it could prove highly effective in preventing pneumonia and reducing the impact of bacterial meningitis, another deadly disease caused by the Hib bacteria, which, if untreated, can lead to death or permanent disabilities in young children.
There is little doubt this promising vaccine works. In the new study published the other, more than 68,000 children in the Bangladeshi capital, Dhaka, were given the vaccine, which was shown to prevent one-third of life-threatening pneumonia cases in children under the age of two. The Hib vaccine also prevented approximately 90 per cent of Hib-related meningitis.
The international community supports Hib vaccination. Last year, the World Health Organisation issued an official position paper recommending that all countries implement Hib vaccine programme. Bangladesh, Pakistan and other South Asian countries - including Afghanistan, Sri Lanka and Bhutan - have now taken the lead in introducing Hib vaccination. They have applied for funding from the GAVI Alliance, an international vaccine donor, and are working to introduce the vaccine in their countries.
India is currently considering whether to adopt the Hib vaccine, but it has not yet made a decision. We hope India soon follows the lead of its neighbours. This new study should motivate all South Asian nations to adopt the Hib vaccine and to work with advocates and international donors to implement vaccination programmes as quickly as possible.
Childhood vaccination programmes are a crucial step toward eradicating diseases. Hib vaccination has been identified as an important preventive tool for reducing child mortality in developing countries. Vaccines can help our nations ensure the health of our children and move us closer to reaching the United Nations Millennium Development Goal to reduce childhood death by two-thirds before the year 2015. Together we can take dramatic strides toward reducing child mortality across the region.
Though we are pediatricians of different nationalities we share a common duty to protect the health and safety of our children. Diseases know no borders, and to halt infections, every country must contribute to the global effort to stop disease. By working together to implement programmes like Hib vaccination, we are all protecting the health of our most vulnerable citizens.
Among the writers National Professor Dr. M.R. Khan is the Director of Pediatrics at the Institute of Child Health in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Dr. Zulfiqar Bhutta is the Chairman of the Department of Pediatrics at Aga Khan University in Karachi, Pakistan. Dr. Nitin K. Shah was the 2006 President of the Indian Academy of Pediatrics.