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Helen Evans, Deputy CEO of the GAVI Alliance addresses the 65th session of the WHO Regional Committee for South-East Asia in Yogyakarta, Indonesia

Today, Bangladesh introduces a new combination vaccine that will protect its children against five killer diseases in one injection, including, for the first time, the deadly bacterium Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) that causes some severe forms of pneumonia and meningitis.

Sri Lanka has one of the highest immunisation rates in South Asia because the people have welcomed and supported the government's vaccination programmes which the GAVI Alliance has funded.

A new study from Bangladesh published online today in The Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal shows that routinely vaccinating infants against H. influenzae type b (Hib), a bacterium that causes deadly Hib pneumonia and meningitis, could save hundreds of thousands of children in Asia. Results showed that routine immunization of infants with a Hib conjugate vaccine prevented over one-third of life-threatening pneumonia cases and approximately 90% of Hib meningitis cases. A similar impact would be expected in other parts of the region.

The International Finance Facility for Immunization (IFFIm), the new multinational fund that will leverage long-term commitments from rich governments to raise urgently needed financing for health programmes in poor countries, is close to implementation, the GAVI Alliance announced today.