Lions Clubs International Foundation is fighting measles and childhood blindness. LCIF is working with the Measles Initiative, a worldwide effort to protect children from measles and strengthen routine immunization services.
To support the Lions-Measles Initiative pilot program, the Bill& Melinda Gates Foundation awarded LCIF a grant of US$400,000, and LCIF will provide an additional US$300,000 to the project.
Involvement from Lions will focus onthree main areas: advocacy at the local, regional and national levels;direct involvement in social marketing and vaccination activities; andfinancial support. Ethiopia, Madagascar, Mali and Nigeria will host thefirst four pilot programs. Lions’ leadership teams in the four pilotcountries will coordinate, with Ministries of Health and other MeaslesInitiative partners, the program implementation and documentation.
The Measles Initiative is a long-term partnership among world leadersin public health that aims to reduce measles mortality and morbidityglobally. UNICEF, World Health Organization (WHO), U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC), AmericanRed Cross, and the United Nations Foundation are among theorganizations contributing to these efforts. This global partnershiphas supported the vaccination of more than 700 million children since2001.
Measles is a highly contagious viral disease transmitted via droplets from the nose, mouth and throat of infected persons. The reduction in measles mortality has been leveling off since 2007. Although vaccinations are readily available in developed countries, the disease remains a heavy public health burden in the developing world. The disease is also a major cause of preventable blindness, particularly among children.
