Dr. Orin Levine, Executive Director of the GAVI Alliance´s PneumoADIP,
delivers a welcoming speech at the First Symposium on Pneumococcal
Vaccination in the Asia-Pacific Region in Seoul, Korea on December 13, 2007.

The IVI, the GAVI Alliance´s PneumoADIP and the Sabin Vaccine Institute convened a summit on December 13-14, 2007 with experts, policymakers and opinion leaders from more than 20 countries from the Asia-Pacific Region to develop solutions to expand vaccination programs to combat pneumococcal disease, a major killer of children and adults in the region.

According to the World Health Organization, pneumococcal disease claims up to 1.6 million lives worldwide each year, including up to one million children under five years of age, a majority of them living in Asia and Africa. Five of the top ten countries with the highest burden of pneumococcal disease are in Asia: Bangladesh, China, India, Indonesia and Pakistan. Pneumococcal disease, which includes pneumonia, meningitis, sepsis (blood poisoning) and ear infections, is becoming an increasing threat worldwide. Antibiotic-resistant infections are widespread and pneumococcal pneumonia frequently follows influenza infections, making it more likely to occur in the event of an influenza pandemic.

"Here in the Asia-Pacific region, we still have a long way to go in addressing pneumococcal disease," said Dr. Luis Jodar, Deputy Director-General of the IVI who coordinated the symposium. "This symposium is a necessary step if we are to raise awareness among governments and the general public about the magnitude of this dreadful disease. We hope that this unprecedented gathering of regional leadership will enable all of us to find creative ways to expand pneumococcal vaccination across the region."

Dr. Luis Jodar (standing), IVI´s Deputy Director-General for
Translational Research, talks to reporters at a press conference 
on the symposium on December 13, 2007.

According to the report "Pneumonia: The Forgotten Killer of Children" published by WHO/UNICEF in 2006, more than half of the estimated 133 million childhood pneumonia cases worldwide in 2005 occur in the Asia-Pacific region. Of the estimated 133 million childhood pneumonia cases that occurred worldwide in 2005, India accounted for 44 million and China accounted for 18 million. It is estimated that about 50 percent of all child pneumonia deaths are caused by the Streptococcus pneumoniae bacterium, commonly known as pneumococcus.

"Pediatricians like myself have been dealing with the human consequences of pneumococcal disease for years," said Professor Ron Dagan, President of the World Society for Pediatric Infectious Diseases. "After treating thousands of patients, I’m pleased that we´re finally to the point where we can offer safe, effective protection by vaccination."

A pneumococcal conjugate vaccine that protects against seven of the most common serotypes is currently available. Over 15 countries in North America, Latin America, Oceania, Europe and the Middle East have already introduced the vaccine and are showing a drastic reduction in the incidence of this disease. Many African governments have also expressed interest in the use of these vaccines, based on promises of long-term financial assistance from international donors. This assistance includes Advance Market Commitments (AMCs), which provide incentives to manufacturers to develop and produce new vaccines, by committing donors up-front to subsidize the future purchase of a vaccine, once it is developed, for use in developing countries for a certain period of time, thereby helping to ensure a ready market.

In contrast, countries in the Asia-Pacific Region – with the exception of Australia and New Zealand – have been more reluctant to include these vaccines in their immunization programs. The December symposium addressed the many reasons for the delay of use of pneumococcal conjugate vaccines in Asian countries. The true burden of the disease, the uncertainties about distribution of pneumococcal serotypes and about the feasibility and impact of introducing pneumococcal vaccines in immunization programs were all topics that were discussed by opinion leaders from participating Asia-Pacific countries.

Concluding the two-day conference, participants adopted a “call to action” which urged participation by the public and private sectors in efforts to accelerate the introduction of pneumococcal vaccines. Orin Levine, Executive Director of the PneumoADIP project funded by the GAVI Alliance, said, "This is a crucial time for millions of children in the Asia-Pacific region. Thanks to the GAVI Alliance and donors to the Advance Market Commitment, we now have the opportunity to break with the historical delays of the past and speed life-saving pneumococcal vaccines to all children, everywhere. Beginning with this symposium, a coordinated regional effort to introduce pneumococcal vaccines could make childhood pneumococcal disease virtually unheard of in the Asia-Pacific region in the next few years."