Pneumonia & Flu

Respiratory illnesses are a significant—but solvable—problem.

Common respiratory illnesses, such as pneumonia, meningitis, flu or measles, are far more likely to cause death or lifelong problems for children in the developing world. Access to vaccines and treatment can protect children from these illnesses. The same vaccines and treatments that keep children healthy in developed countries are needed in poorer countries.

A gap in treatment and vaccination makes children in developing countries unnecessarily vulnerable.

• Pneumonia is the leading cause of death for children.
  Children in poor countries are 10 times more likely to die from it than those in rich countries.
• Measles, a vaccine-preventable disease and one of the world’s most contagious viruses, is a serious threat to children who are very young or malnourished.
• Seasonal flu epidemics affect about 5 to 15 percent of people worldwide and can be dangerous for children.

Safe, effective and affordable vaccines and basic treatment can prevent and cure these diseases.

Vaccines work. For example, aggressive vaccination programs reduced worldwide deaths from measles by more than two-thirds between 2000 and 2006. Vaccination programs must be sustained and expanded to protect the nearly quarter of a million people who still die from measles every year.

However, vaccines and treatment must be readily available, affordable, and distributed in a timely manner.

For example, the distribution of better and cheaper flu vaccines is needed in advance of seasonal peaks of flu transmission. Advance distribution will protect populations all over the world from the common strains of this virus.

Our goal is to lower the number of children who die from these diseases.

We believe it is possible to halt the effects of these diseases in the developing world. Our long-term goal is to reduce childhood deaths from pneumonia, meningitis, flu, and measles in the developing world to the same levels as those in the developed world.

Next: Our Approach

We support the following strategies to prevent or reduce deaths and severe problems caused by acute respiratory diseases:

Expand the delivery of protective vaccines and other lifesaving technologies.

With our partners, we’re working to provide people in developing countries with better access to what they need to stay healthy, such as vaccines known to protect against measles, influenza, and certain types of pneumonia and meningitis.

Develop new or improved vaccines that can prevent pneumonia and influenza.

We’re supporting efforts in new vaccine development. Some vaccines are inadequate or poorly suited to the developing world. They may be expensive, difficult to deliver to people in need, or ineffective against some forms of a disease. We’re supporting the development of better vaccines, including an aerosol, needle-free measles vaccine.

Learn more about what causes pneumonia.

In 30 to 40 percent of pneumonia cases, the cause of the disease is unknown. We’re supporting research to find the causes of these illnesses. We’re also researching why certain methods we support are effective so we can improve our work.

Speak out about the need for influenza preparedness and improved child health.

World leaders will need to work together if a large influenza outbreak occurs, and the framework for that cooperation is fragile. We’re working to promote needed changes and to gather support for global planning that can help avoid disaster.