St. Louis chapter hosts vaccine co-developer

By St. Louis American staff, as published in the St. Louis American .

The American Red Cross is not only committed to solving problems locally but internationally as well. To increase awareness about the need for measles vaccinations in Africa and South Asia, and to raise the necessary funds to save children's lives, the American Red Cross St. Louis Area Chapter is very involved in the Measles Initiative.

Each year, measles - a disease that has virtually been eliminated in the Western Hemisphere - kills nearly 345,000 people globally. Of those, most are children under the age of five. Measles is a leading vaccine-preventable childhood killer, and millions of children remain at risk. The good news is that measles can be prevented with a simple vaccination that costs less than one dollar per child.

To educate the community on the importance of the Measles Initiative, the Red Cross recently hosted a lecture by Dr. Samuel Katz, world-renowned co-developer of the measles vaccine which is currently being used world-wide.

The Measles Initiative was started by the American Red Cross which in 2001 organized with the World Health Organization, UNICEF, CDC and the United Nations Foundation to put an end to measles deaths.

"Nearly a million people around the world were dying from measles each year, most of those were children under the age of five," said Dr. Katz.

"Seventy-five percent were in sub-Saharan Africa, so the Measles Initiative partners went to Africa first. Within five years, deaths were down to 120,000 each year from over 500,000 each year, and the number keeps going down."

During Dr. Katz's visit to St. Louis, selected guests had the opportunity to hear remarks from Dr. Katz and ask specific questions about the measles vaccine. Guests attending included Dr. Allison Nash, Dr. Johnetta Haley, Mr. Phillip Hampton, the Rev. Dr. Robert C. Jones, Dr. Ingrid Taylor, Elsa Teferi and Dr. Stephen Barenkamp.

Dr. Katz told the audience how amazing the effort has been. He noted that the initiative has decreased measles related deaths in Africa by more than 75 percent and has saved over 1 million lives. Measles is a leading vaccine-preventable killer which can be prevented with a vaccine that costs less than one dollar per child. "Any way that you can help with this effort is important," said Dr. Katz.

The local Red Cross is doing just that. Earlier this year it sold long-stemmed chocolate roses and raised approximately $7,000. Dedicated Red Cross volunteers assembled each rose by hand and generous community partners sold them for $2 each to benefit the Measles Initiative. Because each measles vaccination costs less than one dollar, there is a potential to save two lives for every rose sold.

"The Red Cross has received extraordinary community support for the Measles Initiative," said Kathy Lass, director of international services for the St. Louis Area Chapter.

"We are out in the community every day educating the public about this special opportunity to make a difference in the life of a child. Each vaccine costs approximately 87 cents, so every contribution is an important one."

With some funding from the Enterprise Rent-A-Car Foundation, Red Cross volunteers and community partners were essential to the success of the fundraising efforts. Nearly 80 volunteers spent nine hours over three days assembling the roses, while community partners provided venues to offer the roses to the public. Community partners included Brown Shoe Company, Hancock Place Middle School, Hixson Middle School, Parkway North High School, St. Louis College of Pharmacy, Saint Louis University, St. Louis YMCA (Mid-County Branch) and Washington University.

To learn more about the Measles Initiative, or to make a contribution to this lifesaving effort, contact Kathy Lass at 314.516.2737 or visit www.redcrossstl.org.