Indiana Fever Forward Tamika Catchings and NBA Legend Bob Lanier Join Vaccines for Teens Educational Campaign to Urge Local Teens to Take Their Best Shot at Health

INDIANAPOLIS, Aug. 26, 2011 /PRNewswire/ — Indiana Fever forward Tamika
Catchings and Basketball Hall of Famer Bob Lanier teamed up with NBA Cares and
the Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine (SAHM) today to bring Vaccines
for Teens to the Indianapolis community. Vaccines for Teens is a national
awareness campaign designed to educate teens and their parents about the
importance of vaccination against serious and potentially life-threatening
diseases.

To tip off the campaign locally, Catchings and Lanier appeared at Northwest
Community High School to urge parents of preteens and teens to discuss
adolescent vaccinations with their family physicians.

Teens are at risk for serious infections such as influenza, meningococcal
disease (meningitis) and pertussis (whooping cough). The Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention (CDC) and other leading medical groups recommend
vaccination for preteens and teens against influenza, meningococcal disease and
pertussis. The basketball superstars and local community leaders agree it’s
important to help protect preteens and teens in the Indianapolis area from these
potentially life-threatening diseases, especially at the start of the school
year.

“Vaccination is important to help teens stay healthy, and should be encouraged
for the students at Northwest Community High School and for preteens and teens
throughout the Indianapolis area,” said Catchings. “In basketball, the best
offense is a good defense, and the same holds true for protecting teen health.”

Adolescent Immunization is More Important than Ever in Indianapolis

Although the CDC and other leading medical groups recommend vaccination against
influenza, meningococcal disease and pertussis, immunization rates for
prevention of all three diseases among preteens and teens remain unacceptably
low in Indiana, where fewer than half of teens between 13 and 17 years of age
have been vaccinated against meningococcal disease and pertussis.

Adolescent immunization in Indianapolis is a very important community health
issue. Cases of meningococcal disease were reported earlier this year at Purdue
University’s West Lafayette campus. Last year, Indiana experienced the worst
outbreak of pertussis in more than 50 years, according to the Indiana State
Department of Health. In addition, since January 2011, more than 1,200 cases of
influenza have been reported in Indiana, with more than 75 percent of cases
affecting children and young adults.

“With teens in such close contact in classrooms and on school sports teams,
these infectious diseases can spread easily from student to student,” said
Rebekah L. Williams, MD, MS, FAAP of the Society for Adolescent Health and
Medicine “Vaccination is a safe and effective way to help teens stay protected,
yet immunization rates remain low in this population.”

Teens and their parents can learn more about risk factors for contracting
vaccine-preventable diseases, and the benefits of vaccination, by visiting
www.vaccinesforteens.net.

About Vaccine-preventable Adolescent Diseases

Immunization is critically important for adolescents because they are at risk
for serious and potentially life-threatening diseases.

Meningococcal Disease / Meningococcal Meningitis

Although rare, meningococcal disease, including meningitis, is a serious,
life-threatening infection that moves quickly and can lead to death within 24 to
48 hours of first symptoms. Early symptoms may be similar to influenza, making
it difficult for health-care providers to diagnose. Currently, the CDC
recommends vaccination for preteens and teens beginning at 11 years of age, with
a booster dose by 18 years of age.

Influenza

Influenza is a viral infection that can become serious enough to keep teens home
from school, sports and other activities. It can sometimes result in a visit to
the hospital or lead to serious complications like pneumonia or even death.
Vaccination is the best protection against the spread of the influenza virus.
The CDC recommends that everyone 6 months of age and older get vaccinated
against influenza each year. Vaccination begins as soon as vaccine becomes
available and continues into spring or as long as the influenza virus is in
circulation. In most seasons, influenza virus activity peaks in February or
March, so vaccination throughout the entire influenza season is beneficial and
recommended.

Pertussis, Commonly Called “Whooping Cough”

Pertussis is one of the most common respiratory diseases in American teens and
adults. It causes a prolonged cough that can last weeks or months and can result
in pneumonia or hospitalization. Teens and adults can spread pertussis to
younger children, who can develop a life-threatening pertussis infection. The
CDC recommends a single dose of Tdap vaccine for adults and adolescents,
especially those in close contact with a baby. It is important to speak with
your health-care provider about whether you and/or your family should get
vaccinated.

About theVaccines for TeensCampaign

The NBA and the WNBA are collaborating with the Society for Adolescent Health
and Medicine (SAHM) and Sanofi Pasteur on Vaccines for Teens, a national
campaign designed to help educate parents and their teens about the importance
of getting vaccinated.

About NBA Cares

NBA Cares is the league’s social responsibility initiative that builds on the
NBA’s long tradition of addressing important social issues in the United States
and around the world. Through this umbrella program, the NBA, its teams and
players have donated than $150 million to charity, completed more than 1.5
million hours of hands-on community service, and created more than 560 places
where kids and families can live, learn, or play, in 22 countries and
territories on five continents. NBA Cares works with internationally recognized
youth-serving programs that support education, youth and family development, and
health-related causes, including: KaBOOM!, Special Olympics, Boys and Girls
Clubs of America, UNICEF, the Make-A-Wish Foundation, and the Global Business
Coalition on HIV/AIDS, Malaria and Tuberculosis.

About the Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine

SAHM is a multi-disciplinary organization of health professionals who are
committed to advancing the health and well-being of adolescents. Through
education, research, clinical services, and advocacy activities, members of the
Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine strive to enhance public and
professional awareness of adolescent health issues among families, educators,
policy makers, youth-serving organizations, students who are considering a
health career as well as other health professionals. SAHM members come from many
different professional disciplines but share the common goal of better
understanding the unique health needs and concerns of adolescents. For more
information on SAHM, log onto www.adolescenthealth.org.

About Sanofi

Sanofi, a global and diversified health-care leader, discovers, develops and
distributes therapeutic solutions focused on patients’ needs. Sanofi has core
strengths in the field of health-care with seven growth platforms: diabetes
solutions, human vaccines, innovative drugs, rare diseases, consumer healthcare,
emerging markets and animal health. Sanofi is listed in Paris (EURONEXT: SAN)
and in New York (NYSE: SNY).

Sanofi Pasteur, the vaccines division of Sanofi, provides more than 1 billion
doses of vaccine each year, making it possible to immunize more than 500 million
people across the globe. A world leader in the vaccine industry, Sanofi Pasteur
offers the broadest range of vaccines protecting against 20 infectious diseases.
The company’s heritage, to create vaccines that help protect life, dates back
more than a century. Sanofi Pasteur is the largest company entirely dedicated to
vaccines. Every day, the company invests more than EUR 1 million in research and
development. For more information, please visit: www.sanofipasteur.com or
www.sanofipasteur.us

Contacts:
NBA: Madeline Wehle Crandall
212-407-8284
mcrandall@nba.com

Indiana Fever: Kevin Messenger
317-917-2844
kmessenger@feverbasketball.com

SAHM: Kasia Chalko
847-753-5226, ext. 351
kchalko@adolescenthealth.org

SOURCE Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine