One in four infant deaths in Kiribati are caused by pneumonia, according to Ministry of Health official Mrs Tikua Tekitanga.
In response to this tragic statistic, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints partnered with the Kiribati Government and the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisations (GAVI) last month to immunise children under the age of 12 months. Kiribati is the first Pacific nation to benefit from this GAVI initiative.
Burentia Kaiea, the Latter-day Saints’ welfare manager in Kiribati, led the Church’s involvement which included mobilizing Mormon volunteers in early May to publicize the free immunisations across the island nation.
Speakers at the immunisation campaign launch in May included Mrs Tikua Tekitanga of the Ministry of Health, Mrs Nuzhat Shahzadi of UNICEF, Dr. Raj Kumar of GAVI, Dr. Jayapraskash Vailiakolleri of the World Health Organization and Latter-day Saint representative, Elder DeMoine Findlay.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints works worldwide with government and charitable organizations to immunise children.