WNBA Cares … about measles
Exciting partnership news from while we were out: The Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) announced its formal support of the Measles Initiative, which was established in 2001 by the American Red Cross, United Nations Foundation, UNICEF, the CDC and the World Health Organization. The effort will be spearheaded by the WNBA’s community outreach arm, WNBA Cares.
According to the Measles Initiative’s announcement, “during the 2010 WNBA season, the Atlanta Dream, Phoenix Mercury and Seattle Storm will each host a special Vaccinate a Village Night to help expand awareness and education for the Measles Initiative. At each arena, efforts will include various on-court promotions, public announcements and information booths providing fans with ways to get involved. WNBA Cares will also be making a donation of $25,000 to support the Measles Initiative, which will ensure the vaccination of the same number of children.”
Additionally, WNBA All-Star Candace Parker, alongside NBA legend (and prominent philanthropist) Dikembe Mutombo will lend their voices toward this project. They’ll both star in a public service announcement focused on measles that will debut during the 2010 WNBA Playoffs.
Measles is a highly contagious virus that kills hundreds of children every day, but an effective vaccine exists to help prevent its spread. The Measles Initiative has supported the vaccination of more than 700 million children, helping to reduce measles deaths by 78 percent globally since 2000. This reduction in measles deaths accounts for approximately 23 percent of all progress to date on Millennium Development Goal (MDG) 4 — an impressive statistic worth remembering as we look forward to the MDG Summit in September and ONE’s broader work on vaccines this fall and into next year.
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