Public Health #17: Pneumococcal Vaccination

When we talk about diseases that kill children, we sometimes forget about one of the major causes: pneumococcal disease. Statistics from 2015 show that pneumococcal disease killed almost 300,000 children under the age of 5, worldwide. Vaccination is the best way to prevent the disease. The Ministry of Health promised that the vaccine would be included in Budget 2019, but this has not materialised. What does this mean for children who are at risk of serious, life-threatening complications of pneumococcal disease?