Most illnesses in low-income countries are entirely avoidable or treatable with existing medicines or interventions. These diseases are poverty-related, caused by poor nutrition, indoor air pollution, or lack of access to proper sanitation and health education.

For instance, diarrhoeal diseases are caused by poor sanitation, and easy and inexpensive to treat through oral rehydration therapy. Yet, diarrhoeal diseases claim 1.8 million lives each year. An extraordinary 500,000 children become blind each year due to vitamin A deficiency, despite the fact that it can be easily prevented with cheap, easy-to-administer food supplements.

Pfizer runs many programmes that aim to spread awareness about health and diseases prevention and cure.

• The Mother and Child Healthcare Project