"Mission Pneumonia" Online Game: Powered by Vicks.

"Mission Pneumonia" Online Game: Powered by Vicks. Last week I participated in the World Pneumonia Day Global Summit in NYC. In honor of the event, Save the Children, with the support of the Vicks brand, launched an interactive, fun and educational online game called "Mission Pneumonia". It's now easier (and more interactive) than ever to do your part in the fight to end millions of preventable deaths caused by pneumonia: Simply Play the game. Pass it on. Spread the Facts. How simple is that?Learn more about the cause, the game and why you should help...

At the World Pneumonia Day Global Summit in NYC, I live-tweeted the event as a Vicks Advocate. The event proved to be an inspiring launching pad for scientists, media, activists, public health leaders, sponsors, artists and educators to gather and declare their support and dedication to lessening the number of preventable deaths caused by pneumonia. The pneumonia statistics are startling: Pneumonia claims the lives of more children under 5 each year than measles, malaria and AIDS combined.

About "Mission Pneumonia" from the Save the Children website:

"Players of Mission: Pneumonia are invited to take a 7-level quiz to test their knowledge. As they advance through the game, they are encouraged to take simple actions, such as sharing what they learn with friends and family through twitter and facebook or signing a petition to Congress in support of legislation to expand life-saving health measures to more mothers and children in poor countries."

Why is fighting pneumonia important?

Mary Beth Powers, chief of Save the Children's Survive to 5 campaign says: "Childhood pneumonia is the disease that no one is talking about. In the United States we have vaccines to prevent the illness and antibiotics to treat it. When a child gets ill with pneumonia, he usually recovers," she continues, "But in poor countries, pneumonia is a major killer of young children, especially children living in remote areas, where health care is not available or is located far from a child's home."

Vicks: Bringing the Cause to an Audience. There are so many causes out there today: animal rights, human rights and welfare, poverty relief, world hunger relief, clean water, government causes, public health causes, I could go on and on...

My point is, how do the scientists and activists bring their cause mainstream?

*One way is through mainstream corporations such as Vicks. Vicks is an official member of the Global Coalition Against Childhood Pneumonia and they have partnered with Save the Children to help deliver treatment to children stricken with pneumonia all over the world.

*Another way is by getting the support of celebrities. Gwyneth Paltrow and Hugh Laurie are two celebrities who publicly support the World Pneumonia fight. These partnerships are more powerful than you may imagine.

*And lastly, by getting creative (and online). Through "Mission Pneumonia", Save the Children has created a wonderful vehicle to communicate pneumonia facts to the world and foster support for this very devastating cause.

The Lesson: For all my 'activist' friends out there (and really, who doesn't support something nowadays), I hope you will look beyond the statistics and the facts and find creative and interactive ways to bring your cause to the people of the world. Every cause needs something to catch people's attention in this twitter/facebook/fast-paced information-saturated world. So take a minute to check out Save the Children's "Mission Pneumonia" game, you'll learn a few facts and awareness is golden. The interactive game is powered by Vicks.

PLAY NOW!

If you want to help:
*read my previous post for a list of specific ideas and links for you to click.
*Play the game and share it with your friends, kids and families.?
*Tweet the Facts! The online game is genius! It makes it incredibly easy to tweet the facts that you learn throughout the game.

website: www.missionpneumonia.org