Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance last week announced a $7.4 billion fundraising drive among its donors to immunize another 300 million children to 18 diseases in developing countries by 2025.
Their calculations show that such an ambitious goal could save as many as 8 million lives between 2021 and 2025. The effort will be divided into a series of phases: the first phase began in 2000, supporting six essential vaccines. By 2025, it will hit the 18 mark, with additions like inactivated polio vaccine, rabies, and multivalent meningococcal vaccines. The next phase will target childhood diseases, along with support for vaccine stockpiles.
“Gavi has made an enormous contribution to the health of Ghana’s children over the last two decades: cases of diseases like measles, whooping cough and rubella have dropped to almost zero, and child mortality has halved,” Nana Akufo-Addo, President of the Republic of Ghana, said. “Much of this progress is due to the power of immunisation and the work of the Alliance, which has stood by us as we have brought lifesaving vaccines to every part of the country. Now is the time for all of us to step up and help the Vaccine Alliance to continue its mission of ensuring that every child has access to immunisation, to good health, and a platform for a successful future.”
In addition, developing country governments will invest $3.6 billion into their own vaccine programs over the same period. Previously, Gavi reports that its efforts among vaccine markets have helped halve the cost of immunizing children from pentavalent, pneumococcal, and rotavirus vaccines since 2010. By 2020, they hope to help 18 countries transition out of necessary support at all, into fully self-sufficient programs. In this way, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, chair of the Gavi Board and former Nigeria Finance Minister, said the alliance gives a return of up to $54 in societal benefits for every $1 spent.
“Over the past two decades, the Vaccine Alliance has helped to protect a generation against some of the world’s deadliest diseases,” Gavi CEO Seth Berkley said. “However, 1.5 million people are still dying every year from vaccine-preventable diseases, while climate change, conflict, and urbanisation are combining to make it easier for outbreaks to spread. This calls for an urgent response to ensure people continue to be protected against disease, to prevent deadly outbreaks and to help the next generation prosper.”