Champion Spotlight: La Vonne Downey
Dr. La Vonne Downey has been a Shot@Life Champion since 2015. She is the Director of Health Sciences Administration and a Professor of Health Sciences at Roosevelt University.
How to Get Involved as a New Shot@Life Advocate
Have a look at some of the ways you can get involved with our campaign to become a Shot@Life Champion!
World Polio Day: Advocating to Protect Progress Against Polio
The past three decades have been filled with tremendous progress and hope for polio eradication, in addition to enormous setbacks.
Why Shot@Life Advocates Love Get a Shot. Give a Shot.
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues this fall and winter, flu shots are especially important to help prevent the spread of seasonal influenza, and avoid a “twindemic” of both diseases spreading at the same time.
Our Commitment to Immunize Children Worldwide: Walgreens & Shot@Life
Walgreens & Shot@Life partner for the ninth year of the 'Get a Shot. Give a Shot.' program.
Climate Change and Global Health Security (SDG Blog Series)
Shot@Life’s mission advocating for a global vaccination program works to achieve one of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for a better and more sustainable future.
Powering the Vaccine Cold Chain (SDG Blog Series)
Shot@Life works to achieve UN SDGs by supporting initiatives to protect deep cold chains required for maintaining COVID-19 vaccines.
Vaccines and Clean Water (SDG Blog Series)
Vaccines play an important role in preventing disease spread by unclean water and poor sanitation. Shot@Life supports the UN's SDG 6 to provide clean water across the world.
Vaccines: A Source of Hope to Those in Poverty (SDG Blog Series)
Vaccines offer a solution is overturning the cycle of poverty, protecting children against fatal diseases and allowing families to spend on other essential resources.
The Power of Vaccines: Education (SDG Blog Series)
Immunization is one of the most powerful ways to protect children and families from infectious diseases. Educating those around the world about its importance will save millions of lives.
International Youth Day 2021: Advocacy for a Better Future
This year, International Youth Day revolves around the theme "Transforming Food Systems: Youth Innovation for Human and Planetary Health".
Preventing Measles Outbreaks in a Pandemic
In the aftermath of measles outbreak during the COVID-19 pandemic, THE Measles & Rubella Initiative partnership is working towards measles elimination.
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Immunization is often disconnected from national health security strategy, but #DidYouKnow countries like Uganda and South Africa are leading the charge to change that?
Immunization infrastructure is a key part of pandemic preparedness and response and has three critical advantages:
🧑⚕️ Trusted community networks – essential for quickly communicating risk during outbreaks
🖇️ Cold chain infrastructure – a backbone of commodities distribution
📍 Tracking systems – immunization drives are data-driven, geo-tagged health data that can be used for outbreak warnings
Mainstreaming immunization into PPR is not just smart, it’s urgently necessary.
May 7
Outbreaks move fast; with vaccines, we can move faster.
With outbreaks of highly infectious diseases increasing worldwide, vaccine stockpiles are of vital importance. @gavialliance’s next strategic period will focus on stockpiling to advance rapid response efforts and protect another generation of children from disease.
Expanding these global vaccine stockpiles for Ebola, cholera, meningitis, and yellow fever will protect millions when every second counts.
Learn more at https://www.gavi.org/vaccineswork/vaccine-stockpiles-guide [link in story]
May 6
According to new research from Stanford University, the U.S. is facing millions of measles cases over the next 25 years if vaccination rates for the disease drop 10%.
And the trend is not exclusive to the U.S.: measles is making a dangerous comeback worldwide. In the past year, 138 countries have reported measles cases, with 61 reporting outbreaks. This is the highest number observed since 2019.
Misinformation and the global funding crisis is creating deadly roadblocks in our ability to vaccinate millions of children against deadly diseases. Vaccines work—but only if people have access.
May 5
New data shows that over 3 million children died from antimicrobial resistance (AMR)-related infections in 2022.
Drugs of last resort are increasingly being used to fight these resistant infections, highlighting the dire need for global coordination to control AMR in children.
Increased surveillance of AMR must adopt a ‘One Health’ approach to ensure that antibiotic use stays under control, ensuring that everyone, everywhere has a shot at life. #HealthForAll
May 2
COVID-19 caused the largest reduction in immunization coverage in a generation, with 23 million children missing out on routine vaccinations in 2020 alone. We are still trying to catch up from this backslide.
And now, the United Nations has warned that aid cuts have already set back childhood vaccination levels almost as much as the COVID-19 pandemic.
Interruptions in immunization programs and supply chains across the world have led to unprecedented surges in infectious diseases.
With #WorldImmunizationWeek drawing to a close, now is the time for action. Visit shotatlife.org to get started.
May 1
We can be the generation to successfully eradicate the second disease in human history.
Enormous progress has been made against polio, a deadly and paralytic disease—but there is still work to be done.
Hear from polio survivor and advocate, @rameshferris, about how far we’ve come and what lies ahead for action against polio.
(Filmed Feb. 2025)
Apr 30
“To know that there will not be a culture of crawlers… because they hadn’t had equitable access to vaccines. That’s why I will remain committed to a polio-free world.”
A few decades ago, polio was paralyzing 1,000 children every day, but today, cases have fallen by 99.9%.
Stay tuned tomorrow to hear from @rameshferris, polio survivor and advocate, on the pressing need to fund polio vaccine programs and ensure that everyone, everywhere, has a shot at life.
Apr 29
Every fall, millions of Americans across the country flock to their local pharmacies for their flu vaccines.
But the process of developing these annual jabs is no easy feat—and @who, in partnership with American researchers and manufacturers, plays a major role.
Keep watching to hear Dr. Wilson of @weillcornell discuss how the WHO ensures that our flu vaccines are timely and safe every single year. #WorldImmunizationWeek
Apr 28
On #WorldMalariaDay last year, we celebrated the arrival of the R21 vaccine, the second ever WHO-approved vaccine against malaria.
These safe, effective vaccines took decades to develop and—when paired with existing interventions—have the potential to save millions of lives.
Now, it’s about ensuring that malaria vaccines reach those who need them most. A malaria-free world is in reach, but only if we fight for it.
Raise your voice for immunization at shotatlife.org
Apr 25
This #WorldImmunizationWeek, we are at a watershed moment in the history of global health.
Vaccines have saved over 154 million lives in the last 50 years. Decades of collaboration have culminated in the eradication of smallpox and near-eradication of polio.
But progress has stalled in recent years.
It’s time to stand up for global health. Together, we can prove that immunization for all is #HumanlyPossible.
Apr 24
This week, Shot@Life College Ambassadors @ameenamnd and @wxjiha hosted a phone bank with their fellow UAB students to tell their policymakers why funding global immunization is more important than ever.
Tomorrow is the chance for you to do the same. Join Shot@Life Champions from around the U.S. who will be calling Congress for #HealthForAll.
Visit shotatlife.org/callscript to get started.
Apr 23
Tomorrow kicks off #WorldImmunizationWeek, a reflection on the human progress made possible by vaccination and a push to keep the fight for #HealthForAll alive.
Consider joining Shot@Life Champions from around the U.S. who will be making their voice heard in support of global vaccine equity.
Tomorrow is Shot@Life`s call-in day, and we urge you to tell your policymakers why YOU care about global immunization programs. Visit shotatlife.org/callscript to get started.
Apr 23
Become a Shot@Life Champion
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