Diseases and vaccines
Fragile lives—Immunization at risk
In May 2004, "Fragile lives—Immunization at risk," a film by Jenny Barraclough, was seen by more than 100 million viewers on BBC World.
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About the film
Hailed as "the greatest public health success story of all time," today childhood immunization faces obstacles never seen before. While immunization still saves three million young lives each year, millions more could be saved if there were enough vaccine and enough political will to protect all children in need.
Sometimes war is the enemy of immunization, sometimes ethnic distrust, rumors and misinformation. But there are heroes as well-people dedicated to bringing immunization to every child, everywhere. Filmed on location in Africa, Asia, and Europe, "Fragile Lives-Immunization at Risk" brings to life the human face of immunization, its promises, and its challenges.
Total run time: 48 minutes
View excerpts from the film
PATH is pleased to offer the film for download to your computer.
These files require Windows Media Player 9 to view. If you prefer, you can view the same segments in RealPlayer format at http://www.vaccineinformation.org/video/cvp.asp.
"Fragile lives—Immunization at risk" film
- Part 1: Introduction + “The Last Case—Smallpox in Bangladesh” (10.6 MB WMV)
- Part 2: “Outbreak—Meningitis in Burkina Faso” (30.2 MB WMV)
- Part 3: “False Rumors—Polio in Uttar Pradesh” (27 MB WMV)
- Part 4: “Rejection—Measles in Ireland” (28.6 MB WMV)
- Part 5: “Complacency—Hepatitis B, the Silent Killer” (9.4 MB WMV)
- Part 6: “A Shortage of Vaccines” (34.1 MB WMV)
- Part 7: “The War Effect—Measles in Angola” + Closing and Credits (37.2 MB WMV)
Ordering information
If you would like to order a DVD copy of Fragile Lives:
Order the NTSC version of Fragile Lives from Amazon.com
NTSC DVDs are for use in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Central and South America, Japan, the Philippines, South Korea, and Taiwan. And they can be viewed on any computer DVD drive. Click here to order.
Order the PAL version of Fragile Lives from TVE Asia Pacific
PAL DVDs are for use in Australia, Europe, Africa and most of Asia. And they can be viewed on any computer DVD drive. Click here to order.
Fragile lives: Q&A
Who created the film?
"Fragile Lives" is an independent film written, produced and directed by Jenny Barraclough of Barraclough Productions, based in the UK. PATH is Executive Producer of the film.
Jenny has been a documentary film-maker for nearly 40 years, including two decades producing films for the BBC. She has won several BAFTA (British Academy of Film and Television Arts) Best Documentary awards, another Best Documentary from the National Black Programme Consortium and an Emmy in the U.S.
Since starting her own production company ten years ago, Jenny has been specializing in films on medical topics. She has produced several major international series in which some of the world's leading doctors and scientists took part. Jenny's 1994 series on HIV/AIDS (for Discovery and C4) was structured like a detective story. It won the Royal Television Society's Best Documentary Award. Next came the four part "Knife To The Heart" (BBC and WNET)-an exciting series on the history of transplant surgery-featuring the doctors who made the first transplants and the patients who received them.
"Cancer Wars"(C4 and WETA), a moving and informative 'social' history of cancer, followed in 1998. And in 2002 Jenny wrote "The New Face Of Leprosy" for the BBC World Service Trust. The film was shown on BBC World-where it was seen by 28 million viewers during its first airing-and was repeated within a month due to strong audience demand.
Jenny's latest film "Fragile Lives-Immunization at Risk," is a collaboration with PATH's Children's Vaccine Program. WHO and UNICEF also were important production partners.
Did you shoot on location?
Jenny's team shot in seven locations: Andhra Pradesh state and Uttar Pradesh state in India, Angola, Burkina Faso, England, Ireland, and Switzerland.
How did you get Sir Ian Holm to narrate?
We were very fortunate that Sir Ian was both passionate about the subject and available to narrate the film.
Why didn't you go into more detail about current controversies such as the MMR debate?
Jenny had to make many difficult decisions when shooting and editing a film designed to provide a broad overview of the key challenges facing immunization today. In 48 minutes there simply was not enough time to conduct an in-depth exploration of any single issue.
Is Fragile Lives available in other languages?
Yes, "Fragile Lives" has been translated into French and Spanish. If there is sufficient interest, PATH would be happy to work with partners to create additional language versions.