On August 2 and 3, 2010, leading experts from around the globe gathered in Johannesburg, South Africa, for the 9th International Rotavirus Symposium. Participants adopted a Call to Action, agreeing to raise awareness about the promise of rotavirus vaccination and call upon donor countries to continue to support vaccine introduction programs for the developing world.
Call to Action:
Call to Action
We the Participants of the 9th International Rotavirus Symposium
Johannesburgh, South Africa
2-3 August, 2010
Considering that:
• Diarrhea is the second greatest killer of under five worldwide, killing 1.33 million children
under five each year;
• Rotavirus is the leading cause of severe diarrheal disease;
• Rotavirus-related diarrheal disease takes the lives of more than 500,000 children under five every
year and is responsible for the hospitalization of millions more around the world;
• 85% of rotavirus deaths occur in low income countries in sub-Saharan Africa and Asia;
• A growing body of evidence attests to the safety, efficacy, effectiveness and lifesaving potential of
rotavirus vaccines;
• In light of the demonstrated burden of rotavirus disease and the evidence supporting the use of
vaccines to reduce that burden, there is a need to increase access to affordable rotavirus vaccines in the developing world;
• In 2009 WHO recommended that rotavirus vaccines be included in every nation’s
immunization program;
• Adding rotavirus vaccination in national immunization programs and combining
appropriate diarrhea control interventions of a package of strategies to prevent diarrheal
diseases-related deaths would be critical to achieving Millennium Development Goal (MDG 4);
Therefore, We Agree to:
• Continue to support immunization as a common public good worldwide, an economic necessity and a vital political priority;
• Encourage increased vaccine research and expanded surveillance for vaccine preventable
diseases;
• Encourage the joint collaboration of national governments, health professionals, multilateral agencies, the GAVI Alliance, and the manufacturers of vaccines to facilitate and accelerate the introduction of vaccines worldwide;
• Advocate for and raise awareness among public and policy makers of the burden of rotavirus-related diarrheal disease and the value of vaccination;
• Call upon political leaders and from developing countries to increase financial support to their national immunization programs;
• Call upon political leaders and from developed countries and global immunization partners to scale support to the GAVI Alliance.
Download:
A PDF of the Call to Action is available for distribution. Click here to download (958 KB)
For more information:
Please contact Sylvia Theodoridis, PATH Accelerated Vaccine Introduction Initiative (stheodoridis@path.org)