Home arrow 2007 arrow MP joins new Parliamentary group setup to tackle global killer of children

Press Releases

Newsletter Subscription


Email:


Monday, 19 March 2007
MP joins new Parliamentary group setup to tackle global killer of children
Dartford MP, Dr. Howard Stoate has joined a new All-Party Parliamentary Group set up to tackle the growing incidence of pneumococcal disease in the developing world.

The All-Party Parliamentary Group on Pneumococcal Disease Prevention in the Developing World, which had its Parliamentary launch on 14 March, has been formed in order to highlight the devastating impact of pneumococcal pneumonia and meningitis in the developing world and to press for extra resources to be made available to tackle it.

Pneumococcal bacteria are major causes of pneumonia, meningitis, blood stream infections and ear infections. Pneumococcal disease occurs in people of all ages and in all countries, yet more than 90% of pneumococcal pneumonia deaths in children occur in the world’s poorest, and children with HIV/AIDS – which is rife in the developing world – are up to 40 times more likely to contract the disease.

Dr. Stoate, who is the Treasurer of the Group said: “We are lucky that in Dartford, every child can receive vaccination against pneumococcal diseases as a standard of care. In the developing world this isn’t the case – and up to one million children are dying of this vaccine-preventable disease every year. This group will support growing efforts to reduce the time it takes for children in developing countries to benefit from the protection of pneumococcal vaccines. I am proud to associate myself and my constituents with this group.”

The Chair of the group, Dr. Des Turner MP, said: “This group will be a catalyst to speed up the process of getting these life-saving vaccines to the children who so desperately need them.”

The launch was addressed by the Rt Hon Hilary Benn MP, Secretary of State for International Development.  “The creation of this group will help to raise the profile of pneumococcal disease and the impact that it has in poorer countries. Pneumococcal disease is preventable, and a child’s illness affects the whole family,” said Mr. Benn.

The UK has recently demonstrated its commitment to tackling pneumococcal disease as a lead donor, alongside Canada, Italy, Norway and Russia, together with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, pledging $1.5 billion USD to launch the first Advance Market Commitment (AMC) for pneumococcal vaccines. This AMC should create a financial incentive to research and develop the much-needed vaccines for the developing world.

Dr. Howard Stoate added: “Although this is a momentous step forward, there is still much work to be done to educate people on the burden of the disease and its terrible impact on the world’s poorest families.”

The UK’s contribution to the pilot AMC for pneumococcal vaccines in the developing world could save the lives of 5.4 million children by 2030.

For further information about pneumococcal disease, please visit: www.preventpneumo.org
 
< Prev   Next >
[ Back ]
© 2008 Dr Howard Stoate - Member of Parliament for Dartford
Joomla! is Free Software released under the GNU/GPL License. JoomSEF SEO by Artio (http://www.artio.net) - databases, information system and web applications