November started off with a great example of raising awareness on a health issue that is affecting people around the globe. On Monday, November 2nd, the very first World Pneumonia Day got underway with support from the World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF.

“It surprises most people to learn that pneumonia kills more children than any other disease – taking more than 2 million young lives annually,” writes former U.S. Senate Majority Leader and Save the Children Board member Bill Frist, MD. [Reuters]

Save the Children, a leading organization focused on improving the lives of children around the world, recently launched their Survive to 5 campaign. This campaign highlights the pressing needs of children around the world who do not survive past their 5th year of life because of the factors that affect their health.

On November 2nd, Save the Children launched the Mission Pneumonia online quiz game to help people get the facts on childhood pneumonia. “Although childhood pneumonia is a serious issue, we wanted to create a fun and interactive way through Mission: Pneumonia for people of all ages to get involved and make a difference,” says Mary Beth Powers – Chief of the Survive to 5 campaign.

The quiz game consists of 7 different levels, each with a number of questions related to pneumonia. As players progress through the levels and answer questions correctly, they are offered opportunities to take action such as sharing what they learn with friends/family through Twitter and Facebook or even  by signing a petition to Congress in support of legislation to expand life-saving health measures to more mothers and children in poor countries.

I think this is a big draw to the future of these types of games where the main goal is to impart knowledge to the player about a specific issue. The tie-in of actionable links is a smart move because you already have the user there on the screen – as they become more aware of the issue, they may be more inclined to move forward with an activity that engages real world constituents.

Another aspect of the game that makes it even more personal is that at the end of each level, players are introduced to real community health workers that are making a difference in their communities after being trained by Save the Children to diagnose pneumonia in children.

Definitely looking forward to more interactive ways to increase education around health issues as well as to spur real world action!