Invitation to Join the Global Coalition Against Child Pneumonia
Published August 02, 2009 @ 07:21PM PT
Pneumonia is the #1 killer of children, killing 2 million children every year - more than AIDS, malaria and measles combined. Preventing these deaths is an essential part of a successful maternal, newborn and child health strategy. However, child pneumonia has been overshadowed as a priority on the global health agenda and does not receive the attention or funding that a disease of this size merits.
Fortunately, child pneumonia is a solvable problem and we know what we need to do to reduce suffering and save millions of children's lives:
Ø Protect children against pneumonia with proper nutrition including exclusive breastfeeding;
Ø Prevent pneumonia with new and existing vaccines including routine use of pneumococcal, Hib, measles and pertussis vaccines; and
Ø Treat children with pneumonia by training health workers to recognize symptoms of pneumonia and increasing access to appropriate antibiotic treatment.
But little will change without a global effort to raise awareness about child pneumonia and that is why we are building a coalition of organizations who are working together to make World Pneumonia Day on November 2nd, 2009 a turning point in the way the world responds to child pneumonia.
World Pneumonia Day Gives Everyone the Chance to Act
We have what it takes to prevent and cure childhood pneumonia. Yet the disease tragically claims more than two million babies and toddlers every year. We can stand on the sides and continue to watch this tragedy unfold or we can step in and change the ending. World Pneumonia Day gives everyone the chance to act.
Gwyneth Paltrow
Leading advocates for children who are part of the Coalition include:
Save the Children
UNICEF
US Fund for UNICEF
GAVI Alliance
US Coalition for Child Survival
PneumoADIP, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
Hedge Funds Vs Malaria and Pneumonia
Immunization Action Coalition
Parents of Kids with Infectious Diseases (PKIDs)
Sabin Institute
Pneumococcal Awareness Council of Experts (PACE)
Best Shot Foundation
International Rescue Committee (IRC)
Episcopal Relief and Development Fund
New York University Global Public Health Program
Partners providing technical assistance to the Coalition include the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Next Steps:
We invite your organization to add its voice to the growing number advocating for a renewed global effort against child pneumonia.
To join the Coalition, please contact Nicole King at +1-202-297-2386 or nking@eurekastrategies.com.
To learn more about World Pneumonia Day, please visit
http://www.WorldPneumoniaDay.org, where you can register your organization and sign up to receive email updates.
To join our Facebook community, please visit http://tinyurl.com/WorldPneumoniaDay
To sign our World Pneumonia Day petition, please visit http://www.change.org/gavialliance/actions/view/fight_pneumonia_the_1_killer_of_children
Lives So Breathtakingly Easy to Save
Anyone looking for a cause should grab pneumonia and run with it. Think of it not as a grim and depressing initiative, but as potentially a happy turnaround opportunity, for these kids' lives can be so breathtakingly easy to save.
Nicholas Kristof
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