The GAVI Alliance said it welcomed the World Health Assembly resolution “that calls on the WHO and its 193 Member States to take concrete actions to tackle pneumonia, which kills more than 1.6 million children a year…”  GAVI CEO Julian Lob-Levyt commented, “We applaud this initiative and we call on governments to adhere to the commitment they made here today to protect the world’s most vulnerable citizens. The resolution was passed by consensus, underlining a new universal commitment to combating pneumonia…This is the first time that governments of the world have come together to make a unified, comprehensive commitment to tackle the most prevalent killer of young children in the world.” The resolution calls on governments to combat pneumonia “through implementation of three groups of effective interventions outlined in the WHO/UNICEF Global Action Plan for the prevention and control of Pneumonia (GAPP). The GAPP aims to:
– Protect children by providing a healthy environment where they are at low risk of pneumonia; steps include encouraging exclusive breastfeeding for six months, reducing indoor air pollution and promoting hand washing
– Prevent children becoming ill with pneumonia by vaccinating against its causes. Pneumococcus bacteria and Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) are the leading causes of the most severe cases of pneumonia and both are vaccine-preventable
– Treat children who become ill with pneumonia through effective case management in communities, health centres and hospitals.

http://www.gavialliance.org/media_centre/press_releases/2010_05_21_wha_pneumonia_resolution.php