Pneumococcal disease causes probably at least half of the pneumonia cases in Malawi. It also causes meningitis, blood poisoning, and otitis, which if it doesn’t kill can leave a child disabled, deaf, and disadvantaged for the rest of their life. Vaccination is one of the most straightforward health interventions we have. The pneumococcal vaccine introduced […]
Tag: vaccines
Norman Lufesi: Malawi’s aggressive response to childhood pneumonia
World pneumonia day this year was occasion for a huge celebration in Malawi, as we had chosen the day to introduce pneumococcal vaccines, which will protect our children from the leading cause of pneumonia. In Malawi, pneumonia contributes to 14% of all hospital admissions and 18% of hospital deaths in children under five. The introduction […]
Helen Macdonald on the calm, waves of flu, vaccines, and other stories
Calm settled over swine flu coverage this week as the northern hemisphere headed into the summer holidays; but much remains uncertain. Stories tracking the Health Protection Agency’s weekly flu figures fell from the front pages. But based on the agency’s numbers, the press report that cases, consultations, admissions and deaths from swine flu are far […]