Today, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation announced it would dedicate $10 billion over the next ten years to support vaccine research, development and delivery throughout the developing world. This commitment is unprecedented.
Preventable diseases such as pneumonia, diarrhea and malaria take the lives of 5 million children worldwide every year, mostly in low-income countries, simply because life-saving vaccines don't reach those who need them most. Today's commitment from the Gates Foundation promises to take the biggest step yet toward addressing this global inequity.
"Today's announcement is a major boost for global health and vaccines. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has once again set the bar for results-driven aid. By aiming at pneumonia, diarrhea, and malaria, the funding will save millions of lives," said Orin Levine, executive director of IVAC.
"But the Gates Foundation cannot achieve the full promise of vaccines on its own. Manufacturers must increase their investments in vaccine research and development, donor countries must mobilize to help fund new vaccines, and developing countries must make the investments and take the steps necessary for delivering life-saving vaccines to their children.
Now more than ever and in light of the opportunities provided by the Gates Foundation's commitment, we urge all parties to work together to ensure access to life saving vaccines to those who need them worldwide."
ABOUT IVAC
The International Vaccine Access Center (IVAC), has as its mission to accelerate global access to life-saving vaccines through development and implementation of evidence-based policies. IVAC¹s work to strengthen the evidence base for vaccine introduction includes undertaking targeted, policy-focused research in areas such as disease burden, cost-effectiveness, vaccine policy, demand forecasting and disease epidemiology. For more information, please visit www.jhsph.edu/ivac