BY SOLA OGUNDIPE

“PNEUMONIA is No.1 preventable cause of death in children under five but pneumonia can be prevented through vaccination with the pneumococcal vaccine” This was the crux of the message Pfizer Specialties had to offer parents and guardians last week at Karis Nursery/Primary School, Magodo, Lagos.

Pfizer Specialties last week unveiled the School Enlightenment Campaign on the Prevention of Pneumonia at Karis School Magodo, Lagos. Mr Nwagie. Chairman, Karis School (right) with Associate Director of Pfizer Specialties, Mrs Magaret Olele and Head of the Business Unit Pfizer Specialties (left), Mr. Patrick Ajah, with the school children during the event.

The occasion was the official flag-off of the on-going education and enlightenment campaign to promote routine and selective vaccination of children aged five years and below against the menace of pneumococcal disorders. Nigeria currently has the world’s second highest rate of pneumococcal deaths, largely caused by pneumonia in children.

Experts recommend the pneumococcal conjugate vaccine for all children less than 59 months old. In addition, children aged more than 24 months who are at high risk of pneumococcal disease and adults with risk factors may receive the pneumococcal vaccine.

Pfizer’s Associate Director, Communication and Public Affairs, Mrs. Margaret Olele, said the company, which introduced the first ever pneumococcal conjugate vaccine in Nigeria, remained committed towards reduction of the burden of pneumonia in Nigeria especially among children aged five years.

In a chat, Marketing Manager Pfizer Specialities, Ms. Ovy Ohioze noted that basically the programme is an awareness drive aimed at sensitising the public not only to be aware that there is a disease a that kills children, but to appreciate that there is an effective prevention.

“Schools in general are especially important to us because there we have our young children who are at the highest risk of contracting pneumococcal diseases. We have embarked on this school programme to reach out to the proprietesses, heads of the schools and parents on the need to be aware of the menace of the disorders and Pfizer is partnering with Karis School in this awareness creation drive.”

Stressing that the disorders can be prevented with the pneumococcal vaccine, she noted: “Pneumococcal disorders are the No.1 preventable cause of death in children aged five years and below. Children two years and less are especially vulnerable because their immunity has not developed well enough to fight these diseases. While everyone should know that it is possible for a child to die from pneumonia, we wnat then to be aware that it is very possible for a child not to have pneumonia. This is why Pfizer is partnering with schools on this project – to get parents and those who manage schools to appreciate that they do not need to have their children come down with