Chiron Foundation Awards Five Grants to Support Public Awareness Initi

    Business Editors/Health/Medical Writers
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    EMERYVILLE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 24, 2005--Chiron Corporation (Nasdaq:CHIR) announced today that it has awarded $400,000 to four organizations for five projects addressing public health issues in the United Stated and abroad. The recipients are the CDC Foundation, Every Child by Two, Immunization Action Coalition and the National Foundation for Infectious Disease. The grants, provided by the Chiron Foundation, will assist each organization in the development of specific programs to create long-term, sustainable change and improvement in immunization practices and the prevention of infectious disease.
    "The global reach of the programs made possible by these grants brings to the forefront our dedication to disease prevention and improving lives worldwide," said Jay Grover, president of the Chiron Foundation. "It is our privilege to support organizations that play a vital role in raising public awareness around the importance of vaccination by devoting resources to educating health professionals and facilitating the delivery of immunization services to those at risk."
    Chiron's grant to the CDC Foundation, located in Atlanta, Ga., will provide funding for an immunization program at Rabia-Balkhi Women's Hospital in Kabul, Afghanistan. Rabia-Balkhi is one of the most important centers for maternal and child healthcare in the country. In an effort to assist in rebuilding the healthcare infrastructure at the Rabia-Balkhi Women's Hospital, Chiron's grant will provide funding for a program that will provide hospital healthcare workers with the recommended adult series of immunizations, including tetanus/diphtheria, pnuemococcal, hepatitis A and B, measles/mumps/rubella, Varicella, and meningococcal. Additionally, hospital workers will be trained in administering vaccinations to patients seeking care. Overall, the program will protect not only the hospital's healthcare workers; it also will help prevent the spread of disease in the immediate area and establish a sustainable framework for larger immunization efforts throughout the country.
    Chiron also has awarded a separate grant to the CDC Foundation for its International Emerging Infectious Diseases (IEID) fellowship program. The grant will provide funding for three one-year fellowships for non-U.S. doctoral-level scientists to attend the IEID laboratory training program. Each fellow will gain skills in the latest laboratory techniques and technology and thereby build the laboratory capacity for addressing diseases endemic to their home countries.
    Chiron's grant to Every Child by Two (ECBT), located in Washington, D.C., will fund an outreach campaign to all U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Women, Infant and Children (WIC) staff agencies to promote new vaccine recommendations for children 6-23 months of age and pregnant women. Approximately seven million children, nearly half of all children in the United States, participate in WIC programs. ECBT strives to protect all children from vaccine-preventable diseases by raising parental awareness of the critical need for timely immunization by age two.
    Chiron's grant to Immunization Action Coalition (IAC), located in St. Paul, Minn., will provide funding to distribute a comprehensive guide to adult vaccination to immunization leaders and physician training programs throughout the country. IAC strives to increase immunization rates, prevent disease, and enhance the delivery of safe and effective immunization services. It also facilitates communication about the safety, efficacy and use of vaccines within the broad immunization community of patients, parents, healthcare organizations and government health agencies.
    "With generous support from the Chiron Foundation, Immunization Action Coalition is able to distribute its new adult immunization kit titled 'Adults-Only Vaccination: A Step-by-Step Guide' to every internal medicine and family medicine residency program in the United States," said Deborah Wexler, M.D., executive director of IAC. "By providing this critical information to U.S. residency programs that deliver healthcare services to adults, we anticipate that more patients will receive vaccinations and those administering vaccinations will be better trained."
    Chiron's grant to the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases (NFID), located in Bethesda, Md., will support the organization's Traveling Professorship in Rural Areas program. The goal of the professorship is to conduct educational outreach to physicians in rural areas about infectious disease, including influenza and other vaccine-preventable diseases.

    About the Chiron Foundation

    Established in 2004, the Chiron Foundation is an independent, nonprofit organization committed to improving lives through better healthcare, empowering lives through better education and enriching lives through better communities. The foundation awards grants in three major focus areas: health and medicine, education, and community. For further information about the Chiron Foundation, please visit www.chiron.com/foundation.

    About Chiron

    Chiron delivers innovative and valuable products to protect human health by advancing pioneering science across the landscape of biotechnology. The company works to deliver on the limitless promise of science and make a positive difference in people's lives. For more information about Chiron, please visit www.chiron.com.

    This news release contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties and are subject to change. A full discussion of the company's operations and financial condition, including factors that may affect its business and future prospects, is contained in documents the company has filed with the SEC, including the form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2004, and the form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2004, and will be contained in all subsequent periodic filings made with the SEC.
    We do not undertake an obligation to update the forward-looking information we are giving today.

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CONTACT: Chiron Corporate Communications & Investor Relations Media: 510-923-6500 Investors: 510-923-2300

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