Every 20 seconds, a child dies of a disease that could have easily been prevented with a vaccine. The UN Foundation's Shot@Life Campaign educates, connects, and empowers individuals to champion global vaccines as one of the most effective ways to save the lives of children in developing countries. Through education, advocacy and fundraising we strive to decrease vaccine-preventable childhood deaths and give every child a shot at a healthy life no matter where they live.
One in five children lacks access to the life-saving immunizations that keep children healthy. In fact, approximately 1.5 million children in developing countries die each year of a preventable disease like pneumonia, diarrhea, measles and polio. Put another way, one child dies every 20 seconds from a disease that could have been prevented by a vaccine.
Shot@Life works to support the UN and vaccine partners around the globe in combating four of the world's most deadly and disabling diseases: measles, polio, pneumonia and diarrhea. The vaccines for these diseases are inexpensive and have proven to be effective in reducing the number of childhood deaths. We just need to get the vaccines to those who need them most.
Coordinated worldwide vaccination efforts have made significant progress, particularly in reducing cases of measles and polio, but funding gaps could threaten these gains. By scaling-up the delivery of vaccines in 72 of the world's poorest countries from 2011-2020, we can save $151 billion through reduced treatment costs and gains in productivity. We can save the 1.5 million children in developing countries who die each year of a preventable disease like pneumonia, diarrhea, measles and polio.