In This Issue
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Note from the Chairs
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Rwanda made history on April 25 when it administered the first dose of pneumococcal vaccine. While 36 high- and middle-income countries around the world currently provide routine childhood immunization against pneumococcal disease, the introduction of the vaccine in Rwanda signals a new era in vaccine access and delivery in the developing world. PACE recognized this leadership last October by presenting the Rwanda Ministry of Health with the 2008 PACE Global Leadership Award which is bestowed annually to a government, institution, organization or individual making great strides toward pneumococcal prevention.
The historic first immunization was cause for a national celebration in the city of Kigali on April 25, and it is indeed cause for celebration among the global health community as well. Rwanda's introduction of pneumococcal vaccine into its national immunization program and the approval of 11 of 72 GAVI-eligible countries to receive assistance to do the same represent a new era of hope for the world's children and the potential to save nearly one million children per year.
Rwanda's success is evidence of what can happen when government leaders, donors, NGOs, advocates and industry work together. Continued efforts to raise awareness of the devastating toll of pneumococcal disease and advocate for its prevention are needed throughout the world. Success requires all of us to act. We encourage you to spread the word to your colleagues and friends. Forward this newsletter and encourage others to visit www.sabin.org/pace to learn more about the issue.
We thank you for your continued support of PACE and look forward to continue our work to prevent unnecessary deaths caused by pneumonia and pneumococcal disease.
Best Regards,
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Ciro de Quadros
Co-Chair
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Orin Levine
Co-Chair
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News & Updates
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Historic first for child immunization in the developing world
On April 25, international leaders in global health joined the Rwandan Ministry of Health and hundreds of parents and children at a rural clinic in north Kigali to celebrate the launch of the first national immunization program against pneumococcal disease in the developing world. Pneumococcal disease, which can cause potentially life-threatening illnesses such as pneumonia, meningitis and sepsis, is the leading vaccine-preventable killer of children younger than five worldwide. Dr. Richard Sezibera, Rwanda's Minister of Health, led a group of doctors and nurses in administering the first doses of pneumococcal conjugate vaccine to Rwandan children. The public event marked the first step in the rollout of a national pneumococcal immunization program whose goal is to vaccinate nearly all Rwandan children younger than one by the end of 2009 and all Rwandan infants on a routine basis, thereafter.
Read the full story.
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PACE releases two key pneumococcal studies in Johannesburg
Two PACE studies presented at the 4th Regional Pneumococcal Symposium on March 3 reinforced the urgent need for improving access to life-saving vaccines and treatments in Africa. Results from the studies highlighted the increased risk of devastating consequences for children in Africa who contracted pneumococcal disease, a primary cause of pneumonia and meningitis and a leading killer of children. Specifically, the first study showed that children suffering from sickle cell disease, common within the African population, were at substantially increased risk of contracting pneumococcal disease, and the second study showed that even when treated with antibiotics in a hospital, up to half of all children in Africa who get pneumococcal meningitis will either die or be disabled as a consequence of the disease. Click here to view the press release.
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Fighting pneumonia and meningitis in Pakistan
PACE joined with Aga Khan University in sponsoring Childhood Pneumonia and Meningitis: Recent Advances in Karachi, Pakistan in January. The conference brought together hundreds of important stakeholders in child health in Pakistan including representatives from the Ministry of Health, EPI officials and health professionals. The event generated news coverage in major English language news outlets including The News, The Nation, Business Recorder, Dawn, The Leader, Financial Post and major Pakistani outlets including Jasarat, Ummat, Jang and Aaj Kal. Click here for a complete compilation of coverage from the event.
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Johns Hopkins receives $43 million to help determine cause of pneumonia
The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health has received three grants from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation totaling more than $43 million to be used to help understand the causes of pneumonia, which go unidentified in up to one-third of patients. Research to fully understand the causes of pneumonia in the remaining cases could help develop the tools to build on current treatments and vaccines and prevent even more deaths. The core initiative, called the Pneumonia Etiology Research for Child Health, or PERCH, aims to build a new, rigorous evidence base by studying the causes of pediatric pneumonia in five to 10 countries across the developing world using state-of-the-art diagnostics. Read more about this new initiative.
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10-valent pneumococcal vaccine approved by European Commission
GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) received European Commission authorization for Synflorix, a pediatric vaccine to protect against pneumococcal disease. In Europe, approximately one in three cases of serious pneumococcal disease in young children caused by bacterial serotypes is not covered by the currently available pneumococcal conjugate vaccine. The decision opens access to a new vaccine that could potentially prevent childhood deaths and suffering as well as deliver considerable public health benefits across Europe.
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Vaccine coverage expands, but critical regions still in need
In 2009, seven new countries - Costa Rica, Oman, Portugal, Rwanda, Saudi Arabia, Sweden and Turkey - have introduced pneumococcal conjugate vaccines into their national immunization programs. Thirty-seven countries now have widespread use or universal implementation of PCV, but these countries are primarily high-income with a low proportion of pneumonia-attributable deaths. While pneumococcal vaccine implementation is growing, much work is still needed to ensure vaccines reach the developing world, where 90 percent of pneumococcal infections occur. To find out more about pneumococcal vaccine implementation across the globe, visit http://www.preventpneumo.org/.
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PACE Members
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Spotlight on Pavla Krizova
National Institute of Public Health
Czech Republic
Dr. Pavla Krizova is recognized both at home and abroad for her work on meningococcal and pneumococcal disease. She jointly serves the Czech National Institute for Public Health and the WHO Collaborating Centre for Reference and Research on Streptococci. Dr. Krizova serves as head of the National Reference Laboratory for Meningococcal Infections of NIPH – a position she has held since 1981 – and has served as head of both the WHO Collaborating Centre for Reference and Research on Streptococci and the Department of Airborne Bacterial Infections since1989. Her other activities include serving as the national microbiology focal point for the Czech Republic in the European Centre for Disease Control (ECDC), President of the Czech Society for Epidemiology and Microbiology and editor-in-chief of the Czech Journal of Epidemiology, Microbiology and Immunology.
Dr. Krizova is an active advocate for pneumococcal disease prevention. In November 2007, she helped launch PACE in the Czech Republic. The Czech Republic's major media outlets and representatives from key professional medical societies and the Czech Ministry of Health joined PACE for its official launch in the region, which occurred as the Ministry of Health considered the routine implementation of pneumococcal vaccinations for Czech infants. Dr. Krizova’s activities during the launch helped gain the support of nine professional medical societies to sign PACE’s Global Call to Action on Pneumococcal Disease. Following the launch, Dr. Krizova made a presentation at Parliament about the impact of pneumococcal disease and the Council's efforts to encourage prevention.
"The gathering displayed the power of organizations and advocates that came together to put the spotlight on pneumococcal disease prevention in Prague," said Krizova. "I would love to see this happen all over the world, and as a PACE member am proud to work with my colleagues to continue to advocate for pneumococcal prevention."
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PACE Partners
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Spotlight on ESCMID
Founded in 1983, European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ESCMID) has nearly 4,000 regular members worldwide and a reach of over 28,000 medical professionals through associated and affiliated memberships. ESCMID seeks to improve the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of infectious diseases in Europe and beyond. To accomplish this goal, ESCMID promotes and supports basic and applied research, as well as education and training, across the disciplines of clinical microbiology and infection.
PACE Council Member Javier Garau serves as President-Elect and Secretary General. As a professional medical society, ESCMID has a broad range of activities related to medical education, scientific conferences and congresses, publication and communication, provision of awards and grants and the advancement of medical practice and professional affairs.
From May 16-19 ESCMID will convene at the 19th Annual European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ECCMID) in Helsinki, Finland. ECCMID is considered the largest European platform for the presentation and discussion of research in the fields of clinical microbiology and infection from academia, the clinical setting and industry.
"Pneumococcal disease has been an important area of focus for ESCMID and will play a prominent role in this year's ECCMID discussions," said Javier Garau, President-Elect of ESCMID and a member of PACE. "In the coming years, ESCMID hopes to partner with PACE to put the focus on pneumococcal disease and raise awareness among our members during our ECCMID conferences in 2009 and 2010." To learn more, visit www.escmid.org.
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Upcoming Events
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World Pneumonia Day
November 2, 2009
Child health groups united with Save the Children Artist Ambassadors Gwyneth Paltrow and Hugh Laurie to establish an annual World Pneumonia Day on November 2, 2009. The day will mobilize efforts to fight a neglected disease that kills more than two million children under the age of five each year worldwide. PACE strongly supports the campaign's efforts to increase awareness about and investments in prevention, diagnosis and treatment of the disease. To learn more, visit www.worldpneumoniaday.org.
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About PACE
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A project of the Sabin Vaccine Institute, the Pneumococcal Awareness Council of Experts (PACE) is comprised of leading global experts in infectious diseases and vaccines. The Council raises awareness among policy makers and aims to secure global commitments to prevent pneumococcal disease — a leading infectious killer of children and adults worldwide — working through collaboration and partnership with countries, NGOs, academia and industry to achieve its goals. For more information about PACE and the Global Call to Action, please visit www.sabin.org/PACE.
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