Two new vaccines available for children in South Africa

The two vaccines, Rotarix and Prevnar, will be introduced into the public sector in an effort to reduce the illness and death caused annually by pneumonia and diarrhoea in children.

The Minister of Health was speaking at the 61st World Health Assembly in Geneva, Switzerland. However, she did warn that access may be a problem because of the high cost of these vaccines.

WHO lists pneumonia, diarrhoea, malaria, measles and HIV as the five main causes of death amongst children aged between one month and five years, which together with malnutrition are said to contribute to more than half of all child deaths.