Breakthrough for Child Survival in the Poorest Countries and America’s Cities
The GAVI Alliance and Johns Hopkins University schools of Public Health and Nursing are collaborating to present “Breakthrough for Child Survival in the Poorest Countries and America’s Cities” an educational and celebratory program highlighting Baltimore’s progress in improving childhood vaccination rates. The event will be held July 22 at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Sheldon Hall (W1214).
Baltimore was selected to host the first in a series of child survival events because it has notably boosted immunization coverage in the city. Immunization saves more lives than any other health intervention. Johns Hopkins and the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization regularly partner to prevent child mortality through immunization. The Alliance has vaccinated more than 250 million children and averted 5.4 million deaths in the world’s 72 poorest countries since 2000.
World Health Statistics show that infectious diseases, led by pneumonia, diarrhea and malaria, account for two thirds of the 8.8 million child deaths under age 5 worldwide. New vaccines, including the pneumococcal vaccine developed in part at Johns Hopkins, can significantly bring those numbers down, saving millions more lives by 2015.
Program Agenda
| 10:00 a.m. | Introduction video Keynote address by Dr. Peter Beilenson, Howard County Medical Officer and former Baltimore City Health Commissioner |
| 10:15 a.m. | Panel Discussion led by Dr. Robert Black, Chair, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health Department of International Health and noted expert on child mortality will discuss the burden of disease and evidence supporting introduction of new vaccines, in particular those addressing rotavirus and pneumococcal disease. Panelists will speak to the life-saving power of immunization at the local and global levels. Panelists will include: Dr. Orin Levine (JHU) and Dr. Susan Panny (State of Maryland) on the importance of immunization for sickle cell disease Dr. Avril M. Houston, Associate Commissioner for Maternal and Child Health and Dr. Anne Bailowitz, Chief, Bureau of Child Health on B’More for Healthy Babies and Baltimore’s immunization drive Helen Evans, Deputy CEO of the GAVI Alliance Josh Lozman, Senior Advisor, Global Health Policy, ONE Campaign |
| 10:50 a.m. | Q&A session moderated by a GAVI Alliance representative |
| 11:15 a.m. | Reception |
| 11:45 a.m. | Harriet Lane Clinic (Site Visit) |
| 12:30 p.m. | Eastern District Health Center (Site Visit) |
| 1:30 p.m. | House of Ruth (Site Visit) |