Yemen Starts Tetanus Vaccination Plan
This is excellent news. Neonatal tenanus is a killer that can be prevented or treated like measles, diabetes and cholera.
SANAA, 26 January 2009 (IRIN) – A major campaign to eliminate neonatal tetanus and measles – two killer diseases of children in Yemen – is under way, according to the Health Ministry’s National Programme for Vaccination (NPV).The six-day campaign began on 24 January.
The neonatal tetanus campaign is targeting some 2,170,000 women aged 15-45 in 17 of the country’s 21 governorates. Over 15,000 health workers are involved in the drive, which is being funded by the Ministry of Health, the UN World Health Organization (WHO) and the World Bank, according to Essa Mohammed, head of the NPV.
Neonatal tetanus is a threat to infants due to a shortage of skilled attendants and/or a lack of sterlised medical equipment used during deliveries, leading to high infant mortality rates, say health specialists.
“Tetanus is a killer. Over 80 percent of children infected with the disease die,” Mohammed told IRIN.
Only 20 percent of deliveries in Yemen are attended by skilled midwives and 84 percent of all births take place at home, according to the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) office in Yemen.
The World Health Statistics 2008 report said 61 percent of newborns up to 28 days old were protected against neonatal tetanus in Yemen in 2006. The neonatal mortality rate in Yemen is 41 deaths per 1,000 live births, one of the highest in the Middle East.
