Translate novel interventions to the policy makers
Scientists urge for vaccines to fight paediatric infectious diseases at 5th Congress of WSPID
Pediatric infectious diseases are a worldwide medical problem. Thousands of physicians seek to prevent and treat these diseases by the best means possible, using the best information. Paediatric infections cover varying diseases even from the womb of the mothers including Rubella, Mumps, Measles, Diarrhoea (commonly Rota virus associated diarrhoea), Pneumonia, Meningitis, Poliomyelitis, Septicemia, Otitis and so on leaving their lives in risk up to fatality. The sufferings, anxiety and the financial burden of the parents with the entire family are also of great concern. The World Society for Pediatric Infectious Diseases (WSPID) was founded twelve years ago with the purpose of bringing together members of national and regional organisations in this specialty for an international congress, during which data could be exchanged and new friendships forged. All of the regional societies from Europe, North America, Latin America, Asia, Australasia and Africa participate in the WSPID. The Fifth meeting of the WSPID was held in Bangkok, Thailand, November 15-18, 2007. The congress focused on new developments, challenges in PID, state of the art and updates of topics of global interest and regional problems in the Far East. Rotavirus is the main cause of severe acute gastroenteritis among children under 5 years of age in developed and developing countries, affecting over 95% of children by the age of two years and accounting for around 25%–50% of gastroenteritis hospitalisations. Among the ten countries with the highest incidence of rotavirus disease–associated deaths, six are in Asia. Annually, rotavirus causes 109,000 deaths, 1.4 million hospitalisations and 7.7 million outpatient visits in Asia, at a cost of US$ 191 million. The need to address this massive health burden is clear. A regional initiative, the Asian Rotavirus Surveillance Network (ARSN), has spearheaded disease surveillance to accelerate the drive towards rotavirus mass vaccination. They show that rotavirus gastroenteritis is more prevalent in the very young, with over 25% of infections occurring in children below 6 months of age, who are more prone to dehydration. Globally, rotavirus accounts for 20% of all diarrhoeal deaths. Efforts to improve hygiene and sanitation have proven futile in prevention. There is a compelling need for a vaccine to alleviate the substantial rotavirus disease burden in young children. Data from Asia Pacific support rationale for a rotavirus vaccine to be made available through government's paediatric immunisation programmes. Both the World Health Organisation (WHO) and Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation (GAVI) have declared rotavirus vaccination a public health priority. Two rotavirus vaccine candidates including the GlaxoSmithKline's Rotarix are currently licensed and have been demonstrated to be safe, well tolerated and highly efficacious. Since 2000, large public and public-private sector investment has been made through The Global Alliance for Immunisation (GAVI) and other partnerships. Vaccine coverage in the poorest countries has greatly improved and Hepatitis B vaccine is routinely used in more than 80% of countries. Good progress has also been made in provision of other vaccines like Hib, and Yellow Fever, and in Polio and Measles control. GAVI is helping to tackle the daunting problem of sustainable financing for newer vaccines. Important new vaccines against the number one cause of respiratory (Pneumococcal Conjugate) and diarrheal (Rotavirus) deaths in children, and Human Papilloma Virus, and Varicella Zoster Virus (shingles) vaccines have become available for adolescents and older adults. All of these vaccines compete for scarce resources. It is a matter of great regret that being GAVI eligible, some developing countries (like Bangladesh) don't have some of these life-saving vaccines in their routine immunisation programme. These pose a serious public health threat to the new generation of the countries. Vaccines are among the most powerful tools in preventing cancer, with HBV and HPV having the potential to prevent Liver and Cervical Cancer, two of the most important cancers in the developing world. Challenges for the future include expanding delivery infrastructure to adolescents and adults, and developing sustainable financing mechanisms for the developing world. The Advance Market Commitment (AMC) is an innovative approach to make vaccines available, where they are needed most, faster than ever before. The pilot AMC for pneumococcal vaccines is to save an estimated 5.4 million lives. The AMC pilot represents the first step in a historic effort to create a market for life-saving vaccines for children in the world's poorest countries. This initiative could be replicated to ensure the availability of other vaccines which could save millions of lives of the children from early grave. Now this is a high time for the scientists, physicians, vaccine developers and the concerned people to translate the novel intervention to the policy makers to convince them to step ahead for taking necessary actions.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel.
Comments