Half a billion children vaccinated: Gavi
New figures released by Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance show that half a billion children have been reached with lifesaving vaccines in the 15 years since the organisation was founded. The figures also reveal that the number of deaths averted through Gavi-supported immunisation programmes now tops seven million.
Dr Seth Berkley, Chief Executive Officer, Gavi announced the figures during a press conference at the World Economic Forum in Davos.
Berkley said, “We are proud of this milestone but we want to go further and immunise a further 300 million children against life-threatening diseases between 2016 and 2020. We believe we can defeat vaccine-preventable illness, further preventing child death and helping communities lift themselves out of poverty.”
Berkley was joined by President Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta of Mali, Canada’s Minister for International Development and Minister for La Francophonie Christian Paradis, Special Advisor of the Secretary-General on Post-2015 Development Planning Amina Mohammed, speaking on behalf of the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, and German actress, physician and ONE campaign ambassador Dr Maria Furtwängler, all of whom highlighted the importance of working together to reach children with vaccines.
Under the patronage of German Federal Chancellor Dr Angela Merkel to secure the $ 7.5 billion required to fund vaccine programmes in the world’s poorest countries in the 2016 to 2020 period.
Chancellor Merkel will be joined by world leaders, donors including Bill Gates, developing country representatives, civil society organisations and other experts for the Gavi Replenishment Conference. This is the first official event of Germany’s G7 presidency.
EP News Bureau – Mumbai
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