Huge vaccination programme turbo-charged by Microsoft founder, Bill Gates

Over a decade down the track, the figure is now reckoned to be nearer 2 million, a huge improvement but, nevertheless, this is still an appalling number when set against standards in the West.
Much of the progress made since 2000 can be attributed to the Global Alliance for Vaccination and Immunisation ( GAVI ) which was formed that year. This is a public-private global health partnership which includes the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. The latter kick-started the organisation’s aspirations by committing a staggering $ 750 million to immunise millions of underprivileged children from life-threatening diseases. In its first decade, Gavi succeeded in immunising an amazing 288 million children which, according to WHO estimates, probably saved 5 million lives.
Because of long term funding commitments from creditable partners such as the Gates Foundation and many Western governments, Gavi has been able to accelerate its work by issuing bonds on capital markets worth some $ 3 billion or double what it actually had available for its programme. Such substantial sums have also enabled the organisation to lay the foundations for long term, sustainable solutions to the cost of vaccination programmes in developing countries such as those in sub-Saharan Africa.
It has done this by contracting with major pharmaceutical companies to produce the essential lifesaving vaccines that young children need at prices that poorer countries can afford. Until these new low-cost vaccines are available, countries like Kenya, for example, still rely heavily on doses funded by Gavi. In 2011, Kenya introduced the pneumococcal vaccine (PCV10) with the support of Gavi. Providing pneumococcal vaccines in 40 similar low- income countries will save up to 7 million lives by 2030, according to Gavi. The alliance says that, if it is fully funded, it can accelerate access to new vaccines which will save a further four million lives by 2015.
Vaccination is obviously one of the most cost-effective health investments that can be made since it can avoid hospitalisation and on-going care especially in countries that can ill afford it. It has already eradicated smallpox, reduced the global incidence of polio by 99 per cent, and reduced many other causes of illness and death. Thankfully, more children than ever before are being reached with immunisation.