2008

Poor and inaccurate information is hampering global aid efforts to improve the lives of the world’s poor but greater coordination, transparency and investment can significantly increase the impact of humanitarian aid, GAVI Alliance officials stated today.

Burkina Faso vaccinates 7.9 million against deadly yellow fever disease Geneva, 2 December 2008 - A contribution of US$ 11 million from the GAVI Alliance has enabled the Government of Burkina Faso to initiate an immediate preventive immunisat

To further protect millions of children in the developing world against life-threatening diseases, the Government of Germany has committed an additional four million Euros to the GAVI Alliance.

Responding to increased demand by poor countries to immunise children under five, the GAVI Alliance has committed to fund an additional US$ 134 million in new and continued programmes yesterday for vaccines against rotavirus, pneumococcal disease and Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib). The programmes will support 11 countries and provide vaccines to an estimated 6.6 million children.

Former President of Ireland and High Commissioner for Human Rights Mary Robinson will lead the GAVI Alliance’s new executive board, created today to strengthen the organisation’s ability to meet global health challenges. “I feel humbled and honored to be elected,” said Robinson. “Over these past few years, I have witnessed GAVI achieve extraordinary success through its unique public and private approach to improving the health of the world’s poor, especially children."

false 700 3.4 million deaths averted through GAVI-funded immunisation programmes GENEVA, 29 October 2008 - 3.4 million deaths will be averted in the world's poorest countries through immunisation funded by the GAVI Alliance between 2000 and 2008, according to new data released by the World He

UNICEF wesbsite – On the opening day of the United Nations General Assembly session yesterday, UNICEF Executive Director Ann M. Veneman said there is a long way to go to reach the Millennium Development Goals by their 2015 target date. And the challenges are greatest in countries dealing with conflict and post-conflict situations, as well as those most affected by HIV/AIDS.

Significant progress towards reducing child and maternal mortality is being made but to meet the Millennium Development Goals 4,5,6, strategies aimed at reaching the world’s most inaccessible, marginalized and vulnerable populations will be required, health leaders said today.

The city of Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire can once again be considered safe from a Yellow Fever epidemic after the national Ministry of Health, the World Health Organization (WHO), UNICEF nongovernmental organizations and others in the Yellow Fever Partnership combined their forces to vaccinate over 2.2 million people in the Ivorian capital.

Health Ministers from countries of the African Meningitis Belt today committed themselves to introduce a highly promising candidate meningitis vaccine. The vaccine is designed to prevent periodic epidemics of the deadly disease in these countries.

Support from the GAVI Alliance enables Introduction of Vaccine against Deadly Haemophilus influenzae type b (or Hib) and Four Other Diseases. For the first time in its history, the Solomon Islands began vaccinating its children today against Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) and four other common diseases through the use of a 5-1 vaccine purchased with funding from the GAVI Alliance.

A new blow against the major childhood killer pneumococcal disease was delivered yesterday when the GAVI Alliance Board confirmed its intent to provide US$1.3 billion for the purchase of pneumococcal vaccines for children in the developing world.

An alliance of the world’s top global health agencies, governments and private partners today approved a plan that will prioritize their support of new and underused vaccines to fight deadly disease in the developing world.

A revitalised global effort to improve immunisation programmes and strengthen health systems in the poorest countries is saving an increasing number of lives and making a significant impact towards achieving the UN Millennium Development Goals.

In response to unprecedented demand from developing countries, the GAVI Alliance will increase its funding for health system strengthening to US$800 million. The flexible long-term funds will enable the world’s poorest countries to strengthen their healthcare systems to deliver vaccines and other health interventions more effectively.

Top vaccine experts and child advocates meeting in Barcelona today hailed dramatic new evidence of the role of immunisation in reducing deaths among children in the world’s poorest nations. “Each day, more and more children are being given life-saving vaccines. With higher immunisation rates, fewer of them are now dying of preventable infectious diseases,” said Graça Machel, President of the Foundation for Community Development (FDC) for Mozambique.

New vaccine rollout through the GAVI Alliance expected to help extinguish childhood killer. Papua New Guinea will begin immunising children this month with a vaccine that promises to rid the nation of Haemophilus Influenzae type b, or Hib disease, one of the deadliest causes of meningitis and pneumonia. 

The GAVI Alliance today thanked the Danish government for Denmark’s support to GAVI. During the meeting GAVI and the Danish Minister discussed issues related to vaccine deliveries in developing countries with weak health systems and also the role of GAVI in the international health architecture.

Hib meningitis has been virtually eliminated in young children in Uganda just five years after the country introduced Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) vaccine nationwide, according to an independent study.

Japanese investors enthusiastically welcomed the launch of the debut offering in the Japanese market of the International Finance Facility for Immunisation Company (“IFFIm”), a ZAR 1.7 billion (USD equivalent 223 million) two year uridashi issue. The funds raised by the issue will be used by the GAVI Alliance for health and immunisation programmes in 70 of the poorest countries around the world to save millions of lives.

A "vaccine bond" expected to be offered in Japan next month aims to accelerate efforts to immunise children in the world’s poorest countries against deadly diseases, the first initiative of its kind in Japan to use the capital markets to raise funds for a specific development purpose.

La Caixa Foundation (Fundacion Caja de Ahorros y Pensiones de Barcelona) has announced a €4 million donation to the GAVI Fund’s Immunise Every Child Campaign. The money will be used to help vaccinate children in the world’s poorest countries against life-threatening diseases.

A bold and far-sighted investment in child survival by the Canadian government over the last five years has helped save hundreds of thousands of lives and paved the way for further reductions in child mortality globally. 

Targetted immunisation backed by innovative financing to pay for the introduction of new vaccines is key to reducing child mortality in the world’s poorest countries, the GAVI Alliance said today.