Pneumococcal, a highly infectious disease, kills 1.6 million people - including more than 800,000 children under age five - each year. The Sabin Vaccine Institute (Sabin) supports research and advocacy efforts to raise awareness about this deadly disease, and encourage the introduction of pneumococcal vaccines worldwide.

Sabin convenes the world’s leading experts in epidemiology and other key public health professionals at regional and country-level symposia each year, including the Regional Pneumococcal Symposium. Developed in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO), the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and PneumoADIP, the regional symposia provide a forum to share the latest pneumococcal research and new prevention strategies.

Sabin also oversees key research studies and conducts extensive literature reviews with top epidemiologists, economists and analysts in the industry -- critical research that has yielded important new data on the disease burden and economic impact of pneumococcal in developing countries.

In 2006, Sabin launched the Pneumococcal Awareness Council of Experts (PACE), to elevate pneumococcal disease on the global health agenda and advocate for its prevention worldwide. Working with more than 100 professional medical societies around the globe, PACE informs policymakers about the global threat of pneumococcal disease and works to secure commitments from countries to combat the disease.