April 3, 2006 PATH Launches New Vaccine Development Effort to Prevent Pneumonuia, Save One Million Children Per Year Grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to accelerate development of pneumococcal vaccines for developing countries

SEATTLE -- PATH today announced a new program aimed at preventing pneumonia, a major childhood illness that causes the deaths of up to one million children every year—primarily in developing countries. The program will seek a vaccine that is capable of addressing a broad range of strains of pneumococcus, a bacterium that causes pneumonia. PATH, an international nonprofit organization with over 27 years of global health experience, will work with public- and private-sector partners to identify and test promising pneumococcal vaccines. The five-year effort is supported by a US$75 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

To read the full press release, visit the PATH Web site.




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Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Guided by the belief that every life has equal value, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation works to help all people lead healthy, productive lives. In developing countries, it focuses on improving people's health and giving them the chance to lift themselves out of hunger and extreme poverty. In the United States, it seeks to ensure that all people—especially those with the fewest resources—have access to the opportunities they need to succeed in school and life. Based in Seattle, the foundation is led by CEO Jeff Raikes and co-chair William H. Gates Sr., under the direction of Bill and Melinda Gates and Warren Buffett.