Marion Jones Kicks Off Drive to Immunize Children

The Vaccine Fund and Olympic Aid team up with Ghanaian government to host world's first Sport and Immunization Festival and inaugurate "five-in-one" vaccine in W. Africa

Olympic triple gold medallist Marion Jones is leading a delegation of world-class athletes to Ghana to kick off a new campaign to immunize the nation's infants against five deadly diseases.

The campaign will be launched at the world's first-ever Sport and Immunization Festival, which celebrates the relationship between sports and health and is sponsored by The Vaccine Fund, Olympic Aid and the government of Ghana.

The Vaccine Fund, a global initiative to immunize children established with a $750 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, will provide nearly $7.5 million in vaccines and financial support to Ghana through next year. Olympic Aid is an athlete-driven non-profit humanitarian organization that uses sport and play as a tool for advancing child development and building community capacity. The Festival marks the kick-off of the Olympic Aid Sport Health program in Ghana.

Ghana's introduction of the new vaccine, which adds protection against hepatitis B and HiB to the usual roster of diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis vaccines, marks the first time a West African country has adopted the five-in-one vaccine into its infant immunization program. The Vaccine Fund will also provide yellow fever vaccine to Ghana. Other leading athletes who are taking part in the festival include equestrian HRH Princess Haya of Jordan, Olympic gold medallist figure skater Dorothy Hamill, and one-time African footballer of the year Roger Milla.

"Every child, everywhere, has the right to receive the life-saving vaccines that children in wealthy countries take for granted," said Jacques-Francois Martin, president of The Vaccine Fund. "This Festival is helping to reduce the health gap between industrialized and developing countries. The Ghanaian government has been a great partner and has shown tremendous leadership in protecting its children from vaccine-preventable disease." Ghana is one of 52 countries to which The Vaccine Fund has committed resources.

"We believe that every child has a right to play," said Johann Olav Koss, Olympic Aid chairperson and four-time Olympic gold-medal speed skater. "But a child must be healthy in order to play. The children and families at this Festival are coming out for a day of sport and fun, but will leave with increased self-confidence, a greater understanding of teamwork and, most importantly, improved life-long health. I am thrilled with the tremendous support from our participating athletes who will be a driving force behind the success of the Festival."

The Ghanaian Minister of Health, Kwaku Afriyie, and the Minister of Youth and Sports, Edward Osei Kwaku, will also participate in the day's activities, as will representatives from international organizations including the World Health Organization and UNICEF. These organizations are members of the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunizations (GAVI), an unprecedented alliance that works in partnership with The Vaccine Fund to ensure that all children have access to life-saving vaccines.

According to UNICEF, seven percent of Ghanaian children die before reaching their first birthday, and roughly 73,000 children under the age of five die each year. Only 73 percent of Ghana's children have been immunized against diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis, according to UNICEF, leaving fully a quarter without the benefit of basic vaccines which parents of children in industrialized nations take for granted.

The Olympic Aid Sport Health program will continue in Ghana for three years after the weekend Festival. Olympic Aid volunteers Rhett Gurian of Allentown, Pennsylvania, USA and Erica Taylor of Montreal, Quebec, Canada are living in Accra and working to disseminate health education messages about childhood immunization, HIV/AIDS prevention and physical fitness through sport and play activities. Olympic Aid and The Vaccine Fund expect to work together to implement similar programs in other countries.

The Vaccine Fund was established in 1999 with a $750 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to provide new and underutilized vaccines and fund immunization services in the world's 74 poorest countries. Since then, six countries - the United States, Norway, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Canada and Denmark - have contributed an additional $300 million. The Vaccine Fund has already committed more than $765 million to government immunization programs in 52 developing countries.

For further information, visit www.vaccinefund.org.

Olympic Aid is an athlete-driven humanitarian non-profit organization using sport and play to enhance child development and build community capacity. For further information, visit www.olympicaid.org.