Epress.am News from Armenia
Armenia's Ministry of Healthcare plans to introduce a pneumococcal vaccine for children. The issue was discussed at a board meeting of the ministry today.
"We definitely have to implement this program. The arguments brought forth are quite convincing. As a result of [administering] the vaccine, we will have a decrease in pneumonia and meningitis among children under 5, thereby preventing infant mortality," said RA Minister of Healthcare Derenik Dumanyan, according to a statement on the ministry's website [AM].
Head of the ministry's national immunization program Gayane Sahakyan said that, according to the World Health Organization, in 2008, of the 8.8 million deaths in the world among children under five, 476,000 were caused by pneumococcal infections. The mortality rate for children under one from pneumococcal septicemia goes up to 20%; in the case of meningitis, up to 50%.
Board members today unanimously approved the program.