No Child Born to Die vaccine push aims to save millions

The lives of up to one million children could be saved every year if two new vaccines were made widely available in the developing world, a charity said today as it launched its biggest ever campaign.

Pneumonia and diarrhoea kill almost three million under fives every year, the equivalent of about 8,000 children a day.

But Save the Children says routine vaccinations could cut the death toll by more than a quarter.

The aid agency is launching its No Child Born to Die campaign, backed by celebrities including presenter Edith Bowman, singer Alexandra Burke, England footballer Frank Lampard, actor Martin Clunes and actress Helena Bonham Carter.

The campaign aims to save three million lives over three years, train 50,000 health workers and make giving birth safe for 640,000 mothers.

Save the Children is also warning that the delivery of vaccines to combat the two biggest child killers, pneumonia and diarrhoea, is facing a funding crisis.

Since 2000, the Global Vaccine Alliance Initiative (Gavi), which strikes cut-price deals with pharmaceutical companies, has reached about 288 million children in the developing world.

But the alliance is facing a 500 million a year funding gap over the next five years.

And the charity is lobbying the G8 group of rich countries to pledge the cash, which it says is a "tiny fraction" of that spent bailing out the world's banks.

The UK government is hosting a special conference to discuss the issue in London in June.

Gavi has approved the roll-out of the latest, most effective pneumonia vaccines to 19 countries - but 26 others have not yet been guaranteed funding.

Save the Children chief executive Justin Forsyth said: "Just when we are on the brink of a breakthrough against these two major child killers, the cash is running out. Without it, children will continue to die on a scale, and from causes, that would be unimaginable in Britain.

"It's not just the new vaccines that are at stake. Millions of children are already missing out on even the most basic immunisations against illnesses like whooping cough and tetanus. With more funds, many more of the poorest and most marginalised kids can be reached."

Mr Forsyth continued: "We need to step up our fight against these diseases, in the same way we tackled smallpox and polio. It's completely unacceptable in this day and age that so many children are dying from something as simple as diarrhoea.

That's why Gavi needs to be properly resourced over the next five years if the UN target for reducing child mortality is to be reached."

A report published by the agency last year said nine million children a year were still dying "preventable deaths", often because of malnutrition and a lack of basic healthcare.

"Vaccines aren't a magic bullet; children still need access to clean water, good sanitation and decent health services to prevent and treat childhood diseases. But they can help us make real progress by protecting - rather than treating - children from disease.

"Without the specially subsidised rates, many developing world governments won't be able to afford to pay for the pneumonia and diarrhoea vaccines.