Friday, September 19, 2014
Pfizer Foundation Supports Vaccine Coverage in Africa to Reduce Child Mortality Rate
The Pfizer Foundation announced $2 million in grant funding for pilot programs to improve immunization coverage in Africa. The programs will focus on ‘last-mile’ interventions to reach underserved populations living in Ethiopia, Malawi, Rwanda, Uganda and Zambia.
Grant recipients include UNICEF, Save the Children and International Rescue Committee. The grants will focus on building the capacity of health care systems within the five countries to ensure that efficient and sustainable vaccine supplies are available to reach children who need access to vaccines.
Interventions include mobile platforms for vaccinations, which provide health workers with mobile phones and solar-powered tablets to register children born in a clinic area and help track vaccination schedules in real time. Other interventions include short-message service (SMS) systems, which will be used to monitor vaccines and equipment to identify bottlenecks in the supply chain and prevent stock outs....