The Asian Strategic Alliance for Pneumococcal disease prevention (ASAP) was launched on 14 December 2007 at the First Symposium on Pneumococcal Vaccination in the Asia-Pacific Region hosted by the International Vaccine Institute (IVI) in Seoul, South Korea. ASAP is the first and only grouping of healthcare professionals formed to specifically focus resources on pneumococcal disease in Asia.
ASAP is also the only Asian group to join the growing number of experts from international organisations such as the IVI in the collective effort to raise awareness of infectious diseases like pneumococcal disease and to work for their prevention.
ASAP is affiliated to the global Pneumococcal Awareness Council of Experts (PACE) and the Asian Society of Pediatric Infectious Diseases (ASPID) and has been collaborating with other public health and paediatric groups to achieve its mission of containing and controlling pneumococcal disease in the Asian region through awareness, surveillance, advocacy, and prevention.