World experts unite in urgent effort to fight deadly disease.

2004 JUN 2 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Leaders in the fight against disease emphasized the importance of preventing unnecessary child deaths from Streptococcus pneumoniae - a disease currently responsible for killing between 800,000 and 1 million children every year, mostly in developing countries.

The reaffirmed consensus on the need for new interventions to fight the disease came on the eve of the fourth International Symposium on Pneumococci and Pneumococcal Diseases (ISPPD-4) in Helsinki. The 2004 symposium was organized by the National Public Health Institute of Finland and attended by 600 experts from around the world. The week-long symposium reviewed and discussed the consequences of S. pneumoniae - a common, serious, yet preventable disease.

Dr. Tore Godal, executive secretary of the Global Alliance for Vaccines & Immunization (GAVI), Dr. Hanna Nohynek, member of the local ISPPD-4 Scientific Organizing Team, and Dr. Orin Levine, executive director of PneumoADIP, issued this statement: "The need to assure access to safe, effective and affordable pneumococcal vaccines for children in the world's poorest countries has never been greater. However, the timely introduction and use of these vaccines in developing countries will require a coordinated effort by leading public health institutions and partnership with vaccine manufacturers to ensure a sustainable, affordable supply of vaccine for developing countries."

The S. pneumoniae bacterium causes a variety of diseases, such as pneumonia, meningitis and ear infections. "Acute respiratory infections, especially pneumonia, are the leading infectious cause of mortality worldwide," stated Dr. Thomas Cherian, of the World Health Organization. "The increasing incidence of HIV makes the problem even more urgent ...