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The Measles and Rubella Partnership is honoured to welcome the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and the International Pediatric Association (IPA) to the partnership.

Together, these organizations can reach about half a million pediatricians globally in most countries of the world.

“Pediatricians are amongst those on the front line of child health. Parents trust them to give the very best information about vaccination, and they can diagnose diseases like measles which is key to identifying and controlling outbreaks,” says Andrea Gay, Executive Director of Child Health at the UN Foundation, a founding partner of the Measles & Rubella Partnership.

“Together, these pediatricians are a powerful voice for raising and sustaining immunization in their countries and internationally. Their passion and expertise will help us to achieve a world where no child dies of measles or is born with congenital rubella syndrome.”

Dr Louis Z. Cooper, a past president of the AAP who has dedicated his career to eliminating rubella, says the AAP and IPA can help to advocate for sustainable funding for immunization.

“We’ve got to finish the job,” Dr. Cooper said in an article published in the AAP’s June newsmagazine. “We have to make the case to the broad public and the political leaders of what an important contribution this is to economic and global security to find the few extra dollars that we’re missing.”

The AAP is working on a program to equip pediatricians in the U.S and globally to advocate for immunization and the IPA is planning to work with priority countries to support quality measles and rubella activities.

Click here to read an article about the new partnership in AAP News.