Rotavirus Vaccine in Mother and Child Week in Rwanda
Rwanda launched officially the rotavirus vaccine (Rotateq) in its routine immunization program on 25th May 2012. The launching ceremony took place in Musanze District, Northern Province, alongside the Mother and Child Health Week with has been organised from 24 to 25 may 2012. The Guest of Honour of this ceremony was the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Health.
The United Nations Agencies was represented by WHO Representative in Rwanda, Dr Delanyo DOVLO, who delivered the speech on behalf of all UN agencies and for GAVI.
Rwanda has been among the first countries in Africa to introduce the pentavalent vaccine which combines DPT/HepB/Hib 3 in 2002. Rwanda was the first development country to introduce in its routine immunization programme the pneumococcal vaccine at countrywide in 2009. Also Rwanda was the first country in Africa to introduce in 2011 at countrywide the human papilloma virus vaccine (HPV) to prevent cervical cancer to Rwandan young girls. A total of eleven antigens are available in Rwanda routine immunization program.
The success of the introduction of new vaccines is particularly due to the good governance and leadership of the country in order to achieve MDG 4 which is to reduce by two-thirds the under-five mortality by 2015. The results from the Demographic Health Survey 2010 indicated that it’s possible to meet MDG 4 because the under-five mortality rate dropped from 103 deaths per 1000 live births in 2008 to 76/1000 in 2010 and the under-one mortality from 62 to 50 in the same period.
In Rwanda, data from the sentinel sites of rotavirus surveillance have indicated that in 2010 and 2011, around 40% of all diarrhoea cases recorded are due to rotavirus. We are aware that pneumonia and diarrhoea are the two leading causes of vaccine preventable deaths, both occur around of 34% of deaths in under-five children. The availability of pneumococcal vaccine and rotavirus vaccine into Rwanda routine immunization programme will significantly contribute to the reduction of children deaths in Rwanda.
During the Mother and Child Health Week 2012, the second of HPV Vaccine has been administered to girls of Primary 6 and Secondary 3, and girls out of school of same age at national level. Also de worming has been done in schools for all children aged 6 to 16 years and in the community for children from 1 to 5 years. The results of the campaign have been very successful.
