The U.N. children's agency reports about 1.4 million children under the age of five die unnecessarily each year from measles, whooping cough and other diseases preventable by vaccines.

According to the report, about 130 million children are born each year, and since 1990, about 70 percent have received the vital immunizations - up from some 20 percent under the age of 1 in 1980

According to a new U.N. Children's Fund, UNICEF, report 1.4 million children under five years of age die unnecessarily each year from measles, whooping cough or tetanus.

"Everybody thought that we were progressing so well that we would just continue to progress. But in fact that did not happen," Dr Peter Salama, UNICEF's chief of immunization, told a news conference

The World Health Organization's Regional Director for the Western Pacific, Dr. Shigeru Omi is calling for an all out war on the deadly avian influenza and warns of the threat of new emerging diseases.

Dr. Omi says, "While we still have a window of opportunity, we must do everything we can to avert an influenza pandemic as we simultaneously prepare for a worse-case scenario. Avian influenza and the earlier outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) are not the only emerging diseases we can expect to confront in this new century

British Treasury Chief Gordon Brown on Friday introduced a $4 billion program to provide lifesaving immunizations in poor countries, reports The Associated Press.

The initiative hopes to save the lives of five million children and as many adults as possible. Along with Britain, France, Italy, Spain and Sweden are also sponsoring the program

British Treasury Chief Gordon Brown on Friday introduced a $4 billion program to provide lifesaving immunizations in poor countries, reports The Associated Press.

The initiative hopes to save the lives of five million children and as many adults as possible. Along with Britain, France, Italy, Spain and Sweden are also sponsoring the program