MOGADISHU, April 29 (Xinhua) -- Somalia and UN agencies jointly called on partners and donors on Monday to accelerate immunization efforts to reach every child in Somalia.

Somali Minister of Health Ali Haji Adam Abubakar said prolonged conflict and instability in the last few decades have resulted in a weakened, fragmented, and severely underfunded health system in Somalia.

"The introduction of new vaccines such as the pneumococcal conjugate vaccine and rotavirus vaccine later this year will help us combat pneumonia and diarrhea, two diseases that contribute greatly to child mortality in Somalia," he said in a statement.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), some of the challenges Somalia faces in ensuring all communities have access to vaccinations include a fragile health system, further impeded by conflict and natural disasters, limited access to cold chain facilities in remote areas and among hard-to-reach populations, and difficulty in reaching people living in insecure and inaccessible locations.

Reinhilde Van De Weerdt, WHO representative to Somalia, said greater efforts are needed, with an integrated approach to tackle the systemic challenges the country is facing by its health system that affect the delivery of essential health services and hinder progress in Somalia's commitment to universal health coverage.

"Vaccines are one of the greatest success stories of public health. And yet, despite all the knowledge and resources available globally, children in Somalia continue to contract vaccine-preventable diseases," she said.

In the first quarter of 2024, 382 people have been confirmed to have measles, 75 percent of whom are children under five years of age in Somalia.

Wafaa Saeed, the United Nations Children's Fund representative in Somalia, said the threat from vaccine-preventable diseases remains alarmingly high in Somalia, with an estimated 1.5 million children under five known as "zero-dose" children. Enditem

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