January 18, 2007-- Measles deaths have fallen by 60 per-cent worldwide since 1999 "“ a major public health success, exceeding the United Nations goal to halve measles deaths between 1999 and 2005. The progress was announced today by partners in the Measles Initiative, a public-private partnership aimed at reducing overall child mortality rates, supported by the Vodafone Group Foundation (VGF). Building on these results, VGF and the UN Foundation have begun work with the World Health Organization to use communications technologies to improve the recording and sharing of public health data on measles and other diseases throughout Africa.

A strategy to reduce measles mortality has been key to ensuring the massive global decrease in measles deaths. As a result, between 1999 and 2005, global measles immunization coverage with the first routine dose increased from 71 percent to 77 percent, and more than 360 million children aged 9 months to 15 years received measle vaccine through immunization campaigns. Data from this project will be published in this week’s edition of The Lancet (20 Jan 2007).

"The Vodafone Group Foundation has supported the Measles Initiative since the beginning of our partnership with the United Nations Foundation in 2003," said Arun Sarin, Chief Executive of Vodafone Group. "Its success is testament to the commitment of many individuals who have worked hard in the field to reach those who would not otherwise have access to health care."

According to new data from WHO, global measles deaths fell from an estimated 873,000 deaths in 1999 to 345,000 in 2005. In Africa the progress has been even greater, with
measles deaths falling by 75 percent from an estimated 506,000 to 126,000.

"The Vodafone Group Foundation is our largest corporate donor to the Measles Initiative, and their engagement demonstrates the power of public"“private partnerships.
It is very exciting that now VGF’s expertise as a leader in the technology industry will now be put to work to help health care workers on the ground in Africa record and share
information and save lives," said Kathy Bushkin Calvin, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of the United Nations Foundation.

The Vodafone Group Foundation has donated £10m to the United Nations Foundation over five years, part of which has been made available to the Measles Initiative for
immunization programs. As a second phase of their support of these activities, VGF and the UN Foundation have now begun work with WHO on a new program to use technology to improve disease surveillance, a critical aspect of fighting not only measles but many other diseases. The Vodafone Group Foundation partnership is the largest financial commitment made by any corporation to the UN Foundation. The success achieved by the Measles Initiative is an important landmark showing what can be achieved by such ground-breaking partnerships.

For further information please contact Melissa Heyn Melissa@forster.co.uk or Lotte Jones lotte@forster.co.uk 020 7403 2230

Background:

The Measles Initiative, launched in 2001, supports governments’ efforts to tackle measles deaths. The Measles Initiative is spearheaded by the American Red Cross, CDC, the United Nations Foundation, UNICEF and WHO. To date, the Initiative has mobilized more than US $300 million to provide technical and financial support to national campaigns. With increased resources, the Measles Initiative will support measles campaigns in all regions of the world in 2007 and 2008.

Other key players in the fight against measles includes the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (GAVI); the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies; the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA); the Japanese Agency for Development Cooperation; The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation; Becton, Dickinson and Company; the Izumi Foundation; the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints; ExxonMobil; and countries and governments affected by measles. Still photos and B-roll are available from recent campaigns. Please visit the press room at www.measlesinitiative.org

Notes to Editors

The UN Foundation was created in 1998 with entrepreneur and philanthropist Ted Turner’s historic $1 billion gift to support UN causes and activities. The UN Foundation builds and implements public-private partnerships to address the world’s most pressing
problems and also works to broaden support for the UN through advocacy and public outreach. The UN Foundation is a public charity. For more information on the UN Foundation, visit www.unfoundation.org.

The Vodafone Group Foundation was created by Vodafone in 2001 to support charitable and community work by all Vodafone companies and their Foundations, as well as funding selected charitable global initiatives directly. It is a charitable Foundation with its own board of trustees. To date, the Foundations have invested a total of over £90
million in social investments globally. For more information on The Vodafone Group Foundation, visit www.vodafonefoundation.org.

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