Pakistan is set to become the first country in south Asia to introduce the pneumococcal vaccine to protect children against pneumonia, one of the biggest killers of children aged under five years in the developing world.
The latest UN estimates indicate that pneumococcal disease accounts for 18% of child mortality; the primary cause of death among young children globally.
The new pneumococcal vaccine is expected to prevent a significant proportion of pneumonia cases, and has the potential to save tens of thousands of lives.
For the first three months, the pneumococcal vaccine is due to be rolled out in the Punjab province, where half of Pakistan’s population lives.
The pneumococcal vaccine has been administered in 16 developing countries to date, most of them in Africa. Bangladesh is set to implement the vaccination programme next year.