Data clerk Oscar Kai enters medical information into his computer at an outreach clinic at the Ngamani Primary School. Moms bring their children for routine check-ups and vaccinations and Oscar enters patient information into his computer about the PCV 10 vaccine, as well as pentavalent, BCG, polio, yellow fever, measles, diphtheria, tetanus and hepatitis B immunizations. All of that information is then uploaded to portable hard-drives that are returned weekly to the study headquarters, where the database is updated.<br />
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&quot;Because the database is digitized, it means it's far easier to keep our records fresh, even if children move and access health services in different locations,&quot; says Dr. Benjamin Tsofa, the Kenyan health ministry's chief liaison on the study. <br />
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In January 2011, the Kenyan government with support from the GAVI Alliance, introduced a new vaccine, PCV-10, which targets 10 bacteria than can cause Invasive Pneumococcal Disease.The vaccine's impact is monitored through an electronic database, part of the GAVI funded PCV impact study, which maps the growing coverage of the new vaccine. Already, here in Kilifi, the incidence of the illness in children aged five has gone down by approximately two-thirds.