Kenyan church leaders hail pneumoccal vaccine rollout

Nairobi, February 15 (ENInews)--A global rollout of pneumococcal vaccine aimed at treating pneumonia in infants has come as a welcome development for faith groups who are significant deliverers of health services in Africa.

Kenya's President Mwai Kibaki joined parents, health workers, ambassadors and donors in Nairobi to witness the launch of the vaccine on 14 February, which was being unveiled the first time in Africa.

"Isn't it wonderful," exclaimed Rev. Wellington Mutiso, the general secretary of the Evangelical Alliance of Kenya (EAK) in an interview with ENInews on 15 February, a day after hundreds of infants received the first injections. The vaccine introduction is a project of the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (GAVI), which brings together governments, UNICEF, the World Health Organization (WHO) and other key players in global health.