← Back to newsletter

COTONOU, REPUBLIC OF BENIN
3rd DECEMBER 2005

We African Paediatricians from 34 countries at our workshop on Newborn Survival and Health presented by the International Pediatric Association and held in Cotonou , Republic of Benin on the 3rd of December, 2005, note with great concern:

• That neonatal deaths remain unacceptably high at 1.12 million each year in Sub-Saharan Africa, and constitute more than one quarter of newborn deaths worldwide.
• That poor newborn care further results in preventable and lasting disability for untold millions of children in Sub-Saharan Africa.
  That services to prevent Mother-to-Child Transmission of HIV/AIDS remain inadequate.
• That the major causes of this high neonatal mortality (birth asphyxia, infections and low birth weight) are amenable to prevention or treatment by existing interventions of low cost and proven efficacy.
• That access to basic childbirth and newborn care for mothers and newborns could prevent as many as 70 percent of these deaths.
• That without a marked reduction in neonatal deaths, the Millennium Development Goal IV of reducing infant and child mortality cannot be achieved in Africa, and that a focus on newborn and child survival will further serve to reduce maternal deaths and advance progress towards achieving MDG V.

We African Pediatricians therefore resolve to work with Governments, International and Bilateral agencies, Non-governmental Organisations, and Civil Society to address critical issues of maternal and newborn and child health at regional and country and district levels by:

1. Promotion of integrated care of mothers and newborns, including attention to the health of girls and adolescents which is crucial to healthy motherhood of subsequent generations.
2. Establishment of collaborations among stakeholders in maternal, newborn and child health; forging working relationships with the Partnership on Maternal Newborn and Child Health at country levels; and achieving effective representation of pediatricians and other civil society stakeholders on relevant coordinating committees at regional , national, and district levels.
3. Assessment of local data and its role in national policy, and review of national and regional policies pertinent to maternal newborn and child health with particular emphasis on strategic national planning to scale up interventions essential to the survival and health of mothers, babies, and children.
4. Advocacy for mobilisation of resources needed for design and implementation of appropriate interventions, and for capacity building needed to provide quality services to mothers and newborns at national and district levels with special attention to reaching those mothers and infants who lack access to services.
5. Development and management of human resources needed to provide effective services to all mothers and newborns, with added attention to the health of girls and adolescents.
6. Building of public information and trust by wide dissemination of accurate and evidence-based information pertinent to family and community practices relevant to the care of pregnant women, newborns, and mothers, and to the reproductive health of adolescents.
7. Advocating for transparent monitoring of programs for Maternal and Newborn and Child Survival and Health such as achieving the Millenium Development Goals, promoting government accountability for maternal and child health, and advocating for comprehensive birth registration and official reporting of neonatal deaths and stillbirths.
8. On this third day of December 2005: We, the Pediatricians of the Union of African Pediatric Associations and Societies, hereby resolve to become foundation members of the International Pediatric Association Global Movement of Pediatricians for Newborn Survival and Health.

DECLARATION OF AFRICAN PEDIATRICIANS ON IMPROVING ACCESS TO ROUTINE AND NEW VACCINES FOR ALL INFANTS AND CHILDREN IN SUBSAHARAN AFRICA

THE UNION OF AFRICAN PEDIATRIC SOCIETIES AND ASSOCIATIONS

COTONOU, REPUBLIC OF BENIN
2nd DECEMBER 2005

We African Pediatricians from 34 Sub-Saharan countries backed by the International Pediatric Association, at our workshop on the Surveillance of Hemophilus and Meningoccal Meningitis held in Cotonou, Republic of Benin on the 2nd of December 2005, note with great concern the following:

1. That despite worldwide implementation of expanded immunization programs to improve child survival and health, death and disability from vaccine-preventable diseases including measles, neonatal tetanus, bacterial meningitis, and hepatitis B continue among children of Sub-Saharan Africa.
2. That while over the last decade the use of Hib vaccine has almost eliminated Hemophilus-related diseases in high income countries, the vaccine is considered too expensive for use in most low-income counries leading to the continuing preventable deaths and disability of many children in Sub-Saharan Africa.
3. That although pneumococcal vaccine has been shown to dramatically reduce child deaths from pneumonia the vaccine will remain inaccessible to children in the developing world where the need is greatest unless issues of cost and other barriers are resolved early in the process of vaccine production and marketing.
4. That a vaccine for rotavirus will soon be available, offering the promise of combating diarrheal disease, a major cause of death and disability and malnutrition in African children.
5. That care of African children disabled by vaccine preventable diseases is both inadequate and expensive, creating a huge financial burden for the care of disabled survivors while robbing them of their human capacities and reducing their potential for productive lives.
6. That persistence of vaccine preventable diseases in Africa will markedly reduce the chances of attainment of the Millennium Development Goals, especially the fourth goal, the reduction of infant and child mortality.
7. That although comprehensive vaccines could be made available to most Sub-Saharan countries through the mechanism of the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization, expense and other barriers continue to be used as reasons for impaired immunization programs in Sub-Saharan Africa, and sufficient political commitment to sustainable immunization programs at country level has too often been lacking.
8. That participation of Professional Organizations, Non-Governmental Organisations, and Civil Society at country level could enhance the success and sustainability of immunization programs.

We, African Pediatricians from the Sub-Saharan African countries backed by the International Pediatric Association, therefore resolve to work with Governments, International and Bilateral Agencies, Non-Governmental Organisations, and Civil Society to address the critical issues of childhood immunisation at country and regional levels by addressing the following issues:

1. Acceleration of coverage of all African children with routine vaccines and the prompt introduction of new vaccines of proven efficacy within the framework of immunization programs with attention to integration of immunization services into all relevant child health programs to assure sustainable outcomes.
2. Mobilisation of resources for planning and implementation of appropriate strategies to improve the uptake of routine vaccines and to facilitate the introduction of new vaccines such as Hib, Rotavirus and Pneumococcal vaccines with a sense of urgency.
3. Development and management of appropriate human resources for provision of effective and safe immunisation services to pregnant women and infants throughout the health care delivery system.
4. Building public information and trust by effective dissemination of accurate and evidence-based information relevant to immunisation safety and efficacy, and increasing the level of public awareness and utilisation of immunisation services.
5. Collection, assessment, validation and use of local data for review of policies and programs relevant to strengthening of immunisation services.
6. Monitoring progress of national immunisation programs and promoting interventions needed to assure their success.
7. Promoting collaboration among all stakeholders in immunization and child health, working with the international partnerships The Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization and the Partnership for Maternal Newborn and Child health to promote immunization and child health programs at country level, and seeking effective pediatric representation on Interagency Coordinating Committees and other relevant coordination committees at regional, national and sub-national levels.
8. Advocacy with Governments, GAVI, and other pertinent entities to seek ways and means of effecting advance market commitments to new vaccines that will compliment public and philanthropic funding of Research and Development and accelerate development of vaccines for diseases occurring in the developing countries.