The 2012 Child Health week to be launched next week in Navua by the ministry of Health will focus on promoting better health care for babies and children.
National advisor family health Dr Frances Bingwor said “there will be information on the range of programs and activities that promote child health, a major focus will be on the introduction of the two childhood vaccines, namely pneumococcal and rotavirus vaccines”.
The two new vaccines was launched earlier this year and Fiji is the first country in the world to introduce three new vaccines - the Pneumococcal vaccine, the Rotavirus vaccine, and the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) vaccine simultaneously.
Fiji is also the second country in the world to introduce pneumococcal vaccine to its health system.
“Pneumococcal immunization would be implemented through the injection of doses of the vaccine at maternal child health care clinics around the country at 6, 10and 14 weeks. The rotavirus vaccine would be in the form of oral drops at 6 and 14 weeks,” Dr Bingwor said.
Pneumococcal diseases are the most common causes of meningitis and bacterial pneumonia in children in Fiji whilst rotavirus is the most common cause of gastroenteritis in children under five, often leading to severe dehydration if not treated adequately.
The program is jointly funded by the ministry of Health and AusAID and the immunization will see infants born from September 17 2012 protected from pneumococcal and rotavirus infections.
Dr Bingwor said the Child Health Week will also see the launch of the new Fiji Child Health Record, which is a pocket-sized waterproof document to record the wellbeing of children from birth to primary school age for children.
Successful implementation of child health programs will get Fiji closer to achieving the Millennium Development Goal 4 which is to reduce child mortality rates by two thirds.
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