Pneumococcal AMC Launches in Nicaragua
 Less than nine months after securing long-term commitments from vaccine manufacturers, the pilot pneumococcal Advance Market Commitment (AMC) has delivered on its pledge to expand access to pneumococcal vaccines, with the delivery of the first pneumococcal conjugate vaccine to children in Nicaragua.
Each year, pneumonia is responsible for almost 20 percent of all under five child deaths in Nicaragua. But in December, the first doses of Prevnar-13, a 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV), were administered to children in Managua. This marks the first time an advanced pneumococcal vaccine has been available to Nicaragua’s more than 2,000,000 children under age 14. It is also the first time worldwide that children will benefit from the protection of the pneumococcal vaccine under the AMC agreement.
“This is a historic day for the world’s children,” said Ciro de Quadros, Executive Vice President of the Sabin Vaccine Institute. “Thanks to the combined efforts of the GAVI Alliance, donor countries and the vaccine industry, the promise of access to vaccines against one of the leading causes of child death in the developing world has become reality.”
This important milestone was made possible through the AMC, an agreement in which donors commit money to guarantee the price of new vaccines once they have been developed. This system creates a viable future market, which expedites the development and production of vaccines for developing countries. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, in conjunction with the governments of Italy, the United Kingdom, Canada, Russia, and Norway provided the initial financing to make the AMC a reality, and vaccine manufactures Wyeth (now Pfizer) and GSK signed on to supply the needed doses. Starting with Nicaragua, the AMC will enable the latest and most effective pneumococcal vaccines to reach children up to 10 years sooner than would have previously been possible.
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WHO provides funds for pneumonia vaccination in the Democratic Republic of Congo
 In November, the World Health Organization (WHO) provided short-term funding for vaccination against pneumonia through this month in the North Kivu province in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo). The vaccination will result in the immunization of infants of 11 months old with the pneumococcal conjugate vaccine PCV-13, which protects against 13 of the most prevalent disease serotypes.
A study conducted in 2004 by the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) revealed that pneumonia killed at least 132,000 children under five in the DR Congo, totaling a quarter of all child deaths under five in the country. Pneumonia is the leading cause of death among children aged below 5 years in the world and the second cause of infant mortality in DR Congo after malaria.
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IVAC Profiled in Baltimore Sun
The International Vaccine Access Center (IVAC) at the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, run by PACE co-chair Orin Levine, was profiled this week in the Baltimore Sun. The article highlights the organization’s cutting edge work to thwart pneumonia, diarrhea, malaria, dengue fever and influenza.
"Orin and his IVAC colleagues have made an enormous contribution to improving global health equity over the years," said Joelle Tanguy, managing director for external relations at the Geneva-based GAVI Alliance. "They have succeeded in putting pneumonia, the biggest killer of young children globally, at the heart of the child survival debate and are actively helping to raise billions of dollars to roll out lifesaving pneumococcal vaccines to all children in the world's poorest countries."
Click here to read the full story.
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Introduction of Pneumococcal Vaccine Advancing in Pakistan with GAVI Support
In mid-January the government of Pakistan announced that it will introduce pneumococcal vaccine into its routine immunization schedule this year. Details released show the immunization schedule would allow for the introduction of PCV10 in 2011 and PCV13 by 2013. The current cost of one vaccine dose is $7, the majority of which will be subsidized by GAVI. In addition to the vaccine announcement, the government also endorsed the strengthening of the cold chain capacity across Pakistan, which is critical to the delivery of PCVs.
According to data released last year, Pakistan has the fourth highest burden of pneumonia in the world, taking the lives of more than 84,000 children under age five every year.
To read media coverage of the decision, click here.
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World Pneumonia Day 2010
 World Pneumonia Day 2010 brought together supporters from around the world to take a stand against pneumonia. The preventable disease claims the lives of more than 1.5 million children each year – one young life every 20 seconds.
PACE is proud to be a co-founder of World Pneumonia Day and was heavily involved in this year’s global effort. In collaboration with the International Vaccine Access Center at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health (IVAC), PACE helped underwrite seven small grant applications that funded World Pneumonia Day awareness events in Egypt, Mali, Nepal, and the Philippines. All are detailed below. Additional activities to leverage the second annual World Pneumonia Day spanned from costumed pneumonia fighters raising awareness at Metro stops throughout Washington, D.C, to turning the majestic Jet d’eau in Geneva, Switzerland blue, to ordinary citizens getting involved in hundreds of unique grassroots activities throughout the developing world. These events were vital tools in the effort to build generate media coverage— and public awareness – for World Pneumonia Day.
All told, the combined efforts of partners generated more than 267 unique print, radio and online stories across 28 countries. Below are select highlights from World Pneumonia Day happenings around the world:
In Argentina, a World Pneumonia Day event was held at Buenos Aires’ famous Palermo Park ("Bosques de Palermo") to raise awareness about the disease.
In Bangladesh, the Bangladesh Paediatric Association (BPA), along with Save the Children and several other partners held a media dialogue at the National Press Club. The BPA also arranged a discussion on how to prevent pneumonia and how to manage its treatment at the Dhaka Medical College.
In Benin, a televised debate on pneumonia prevention strategies was held, which aired across the city of Cotonou.
In the Democratic Republic of Congo, organizers convened several scientific workshops.
In, Egypt policy meetings were held to raise pneumonia awareness among the policy makers at the ministry of health, health workers and government leaders in Cairo.
In England, the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Global Action Against Childhood Pneumonia held an event at the Houses of Parliament in London.
In Ethiopia, a half-day workshop focused on raising awareness about the promise of pneumococcal and Rotavirus vaccines with health officials, pediatricians, other medical professionals.
In Ghana, The Paediatric Society of Ghana held a press conference to raise awareness about the importance of developing effective pneumonia prevention and treatment measures.
In Haiti, The Haitian Pediatric Society planned numerous events aimed at informing the Haitian community about the impact of pneumonia on children and the need to expand access to care.
In India, the Indian Academy of Pediatrics (IAP) launched a nationwide campaign, “Blow Away Pneumonia,” to mark World Pneumonia Day.
In Mali, PACE member, Samba Sow organized a conference to educate community members about pneumonia and the importance of vaccination.
In Nepal, a host of activities were held in Kathmandu, including airing a pneumonia-focused television program, an awareness walk/run, a pneumonia rally and a policy meeting with health officials. In addition, the Nepal Paediatric Society organized activities to raise awareness and promote education concerning pneumonia and ways to prevent and treat it.
In Nigeria, Dr. A.G. Falade in Oyo State organized numerous activities and events to increase awareness about pneumonia among the citizenry. The Pediatric Association of Nigeria (PAN) held events across the country. So-Healthi also raised awareness about the dangers of indoor air pollution with their event “Stop the Smoke, Save a Child.” In addition, the Governor of Cross River State Senator, Liyel Imoke, encouraged medical practitioners to be current in their diagnoses of pneumonia.
In the Philippines, PACE member Lulu Bravo held a workshop to increase the visibility of pneumonia among policy makers, health officials, media and government officials.
In Manila, the Department of Health and the Department of Science and Technology held a research forum at the Philippine Women's University.
In Sudan, the Sudanese Association of Paediatrics organized a public march to Parliament and media outreach events to raise awareness about how to prevent and treat pneumonia. A television conference also aired.
In South Korea, organizers held activities across the city of Seoul.
In Switzerland, the City of Geneva marked World Pneumonia Day Friday by turning its iconic 140-metre high fountain, the “Jet d’Eau”, blue, the official color of the Global Coalition against Child Pneumonia.
In the United States, health leaders gathered in Washington, DC for Faces of Pneumonia, a powerful panel discussion let by Cokie Roberts. A team of Pneumonia Fighters, dressed in blue ‘superhero-style’ costumes, also took to the streets of Washington, DC to hand out PneumoniaGrams addressed to President Obama, urging further action against the disease. In San Francisco, CA, local wineries and pneumonia advocates came together for “Pneumonia’s Last Syrah,” a unique event that raised awareness about pneumonia.
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PACE Convenes Symposium on Leading Child Killers in Amman, Jordan
In November 22, 2010, key health advocates from Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, Palestine and Iraq met for a symposium to address the burden of pneumococcal and diarrheal diseases across the Eastern Mediterranean region.
Convened by PACE member Dr. Najwa Khuri-Bulos, the event brought together more than 300 participants, including ministry of health staff, leading pediatricians and professional society representatives from the region. The symposium was convened by PACE in partnership with the Jordan Ministry of Health and Jordan University.
“Over the last three years we have worked together as a region to discuss ways to better protect our most valuable resource: our children,” said Dr. Najwa Khuri-Bulos, the symposium’s organizer and head of the Division of Infectious Disease at Jordan University Hospital. “The time for action is now. Increasing vaccination rates will not only save lives, but strengthen the health and overall productivity of our citizens.”
Experts at the symposium worked to build a consensus for regional collaboration on vaccine purchasing to lower vaccination costs and expand access to more children throughout the region. After the event, Dr. Khuri-Bulos was publicly invited to present the symposium’s recommendations on vaccine purchasing to regional Ministers of Health at their next formal meeting in March 2011, a critical step in advancing a regional purchasing collaborative.
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