Case Study: Kashmir Earthquake Relief

The Kashmir earthquake in October 2005 killed more than 73,000 people across mountainous regions of Pakistan, Kashmir and Afghanistan, and more than 3 million people lost their homes. International Health Partners (IHP) – a UK-based humanitarian organization that provides free medical care to the world’s most needy people – asked Baxter to donate more than 280,000 doses of the company’s NEISVAC-C vaccine, which protects individuals from contracting the deadly disease meningococcal C meningitis. This disease breaks out seasonally across the earthquake zone, and displacement of the population into refugee camps in the wake of the earthquake created a high risk of any outbreak spreading quickly.

Baxter’s donation through IHP, in cooperation with the World Health Organization, UNICEF and local ministries of health, enabled the vaccination of more than 240,000 children, the group most vulnerable to the disease. This protected the children through the winter of 2006.

As of April 1, 2007, there was not a single confirmed case of meningitis within the vaccinated population. That is a brilliant outcome, thanks in no small part to our work and Baxter’s donation.

Anthony Dunnett, CBE
President
International Health Partners