Get involved in World Pneumonia Day
November 2 will mark the first World Pneumonia Day, a global effort to mobilize activists and encourage donors and governments to pay more attention to – and make an investment in – efforts to combat this disease. This day will provide an important occasion to inform policymakers worldwide about pneumonia’s overwhelming toll and the opportunities for its prevention.
Events will take place around the world to amplify the message of pneumonia’s devastating toll and advocate for its prevention. Organizations and individuals can get involved by signing a pledge, hosting an event, spreading the word, engaging the media, or other creative activities. Learn more about getting involved at www.worldpneumoniaday.org/take-action/overview/.
To learn more about events that are already planned, or to register your own event, visit www.worldpneumoniaday.org/events/. Or, lend your voice for World Pneumonia Day by joining as a partner at www.worldpneumoniaday.org/join-us/.
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PACE briefing in the European Parliament encourages European leaders to unite against pneumococcal disease
On October 5, Michael Cashman, MEP joined with PACE to host a parliamentary discussion on the role of the European Union in combating pneumococcal disease. Led by Dr. Ciro de Quadros and Dr. Fred Were of PACE, the discussion called attention to the WHO’s September 2009 data on the global burden of pneumococcal disease and highlighted opportunities for prevention. Michael Cashman, who is also a member of the Parliamentary Committee on Development and Chairman of the Delegation to South Africa, reinforced the role that Members of Parliament can play to prevent needless deaths and help countries achieve MDG4. He encouraged colleagues to recognize World Pneumonia Day on November 2 and to work with their counterparts in developing country governments to make the prevention of pneumococcal disease a priority.
“The European Commission and many EU member states have already made pledges to support immunisation in the world's poorest countries,” said Michael Cashman, MEP. “We can and must do more to prioritise pneumococcal disease within existing health and development efforts and encourage developing country governments to do the same.”
The briefing was part of two days of meetings in which PACE met with members of the European Commission to discuss the need for pneumococcal prevention and encourage further support for research, funding and policy decisions that will advance the disease from unknown global killer to top vaccine-preventable priority.
Read a letter to the editor written by Michael Cashman
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New WHO data underscores global threat of the world’s leading child killer
New World Health Organization data published last month in The Lancet sheds new light on two leading causes of pneumonia – the world’s leading killer of children under age 5 – both globally and within specific countries. The results, which are the first ever available at the country level, are expected to serve as a clarion call to developing countries’ governments to invest in pneumonia prevention programs.
According to the studies, Streptococcus pneumoniae and Haemophilus influenzae type b [Hib] infections take the lives of an estimated 1.2 million children under age 5 each year. Safe and effective vaccines exist to provide protection against both diseases; however, use of Hib vaccine has only recently expanded to low-income countries. Also, the pneumococcal vaccine is not yet included in most national immunization programs in the developing world, where children bear the highest risk for pneumonia and where most pneumonia-related child deaths occur.
"These findings underscore the urgent need for prevention efforts throughout the developing world," said Kate O'Brien, primary author of the pneumococcal study and Associate Professor of International Health at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. "The need for vaccination and improved treatment is particularly urgent in Africa and Asia, which together account for 95 percent of all pneumococcal deaths."
To get statistics on pneumococcal disease specific to your region, view the interactive map or read more about this data on PneumoADIP’s Web site.
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Many swine flu deaths linked with bacterial co-infections including pneumococcal disease
Many of the H1N1 swine flu deaths in the United States were also linked to bacterial co-infections including pneumococcal disease. According to the CDC, a study of 77 patients who died of the new pandemic H1N1 virus between May and August this year showed that 29 percent of them had bacterial co-infections. About half of these patients had Streptococcus pneumoniae, which can be prevented with a vaccine.
The study highlights how important it is for people to get vaccinated against pneumococcal disease. “It’s really important for people, especially those at high risk for the serious complications from influenza, to check with their provider when they get their influenza vaccine about being vaccinated against pneumococcus,” said Dr. Matthew Moore of the CDC.
The findings were published September 30 in an early release of the CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. Read the full report on their Web site.
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The Gambia’s pneumococcal vaccine introduction promises to significantly reduce child mortality
The Gambia introduced pneumococcal vaccine into its national immunization program on August 19, becoming the third country in Africa to take this step. Introduction of the pneumococcal vaccine follows introductions in Rwanda and South Africa in April. The introduction was made possible by a donation of PCV-7 by Wyeth through the GAVI Alliance.
“It is particularly rewarding to see Gambian children now benefiting from these scientific advances and from the opportunities for access provided by the GAVI Alliance,” said Dr. Orin Levine, Executive Director of the PneumoADIP at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. “No other country has contributed as much to our understanding of the burden of pneumococcal disease and the value of pneumococcal vaccines as The Gambia.”
Read more on The Gambia’s introduction on the GAVI Alliance’s Web site.
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New pneumococcal vaccination cost-effectiveness model launched
A new interactive Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccination Policy Model, which helps to project health benefits, costs, and cost effectiveness of childhood pneumococcal conjugate vaccine based on available evidence and research, was launched this year by the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey and Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. The model addresses the need for streamlined cost effectiveness analysis tools to assist decision makers in understanding the economic and health benefits associated with vaccine introductions.
The model was developed through an expert panel process in order to reach consensus on the key assumptions about epidemiology, vaccine efficacy, costs, and model outputs projecting the cost-effectiveness of pneumococcal conjugate vaccine. Members of the panel were chosen for their expertise in pneumococcal epidemiology, vaccine-related health economics, public health, and/or preventive medicine, particularly in GAVI-eligible settings. Learn more about the model or log in and test the model out on the PneumoADIP Web site.
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Pneumococcal vaccine introductions in low-income countries deliver on promise of vaccines
The recent introduction of pneumococcal conjugate vaccines in The Gambia – the second low-income country to introduce pneumococcal conjugate vaccines – solidifies a new era in vaccine introduction. Currently nine countries are already approved by GAVI for pneumococcal conjugate vaccine funding and many additional countries have expressed their interest in GAVI funding. With the realization of the introduction of pneumococcal vaccine in all GAVI-eligible countries, 7 million lives can be saved by 2030.
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