While many regions of the world hardly remember this often fatal disease, it still claims the lives of more than 400,000 children annually.

To help relegate measles to history in Africa and Asia, BD has joined with the American Red Cross in the Measles Initiative–a partnership seeking to reduce measles deaths globally by 90 percent between 2000 and 2010.

BD has been a supporter of the Measles Initiative since its launch in 2001. In 2005, BD announced that it would expand its philanthropic support with an additional $1.7 million that includes cash contributions, product donations, safe-injection training, waste management assistance, public relations and advertising, and a youth intern program. The cash portion, totaling $300,000, will help pay for costs associated with the vaccination campaigns.

The Initiative is having a measurable impact. Largely due to technical and financial support provided by the Initiative and the commitment of African governments, more than 217 million of the continent’s children have been vaccinated against measles, saving an estimated 1.2 million lives. Globally, measles deaths have dropped by 48 percent in five years.