The Pneumococcal Awareness Council of Experts (PACE) reported on two new studies which highlight the increased risk for children in Africa of contracting pneumococcal disease. The studies were presented at the Sabin Vaccine Institute’s 4th Regional Pneumococcal Symposium in Johannesburg, South Africa. According to PACE, the results “reinforce the urgent need for improving access to life-saving vaccines and treatments throughout the continent.” The South African Ministry of Health was honored at the meeting “for its leadership in making South Africa the first country in Africa to introduce pneumococcal vaccine.”

The PACE studies show that “sickle cell disease, which is common in many parts of Africa, increases the risk of pneumococcal disease by 37 times, and together with HIV infection, malnutrition and indoor air pollution, puts African children at high risk.

Even when treated with antibiotics in a hospital, up to one-half of all children in Africa who get pneumococcal meningitis will either die or be disabled as a consequence of the disease.” Dr. Jean Marie Okwo-Bele, director of the WHO Department of Immunization, Vaccines and Biologicals, commented, “Millions of lives can be saved through the routine introduction of the pneumococcal vaccine in developing countries. The World Health Organization recommends that countries at all income levels introduce this vaccine, with the highest priority given to countries with high child mortality rates.”

The media release noted that “as a result of collaborative efforts by WHO, UNICEF, the GAVI Alliance, academia, foundations, industry and developing country governments, estimates indicate that developing countries are now able to introduce affordable pneumococcal vaccines at least 10 years faster than historical precedents.”

The Pneumococcal Awareness Council of Experts (PACE), a project of the Sabin Vaccine Institute, “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. The Council works through collaboration and partnership with countries, NGOs, academia and industry to achieve its goals.”

(BUSINESS WIRE, 3 March 2009)