Groups Seek $4 Billion for Child Vaccines

14 September 2010

Rwandan children receiving pneumococcal vaccine in April 2009

This is the VOA Special English Health Report.

Vaccines and chest compressions are both ways to save lives. Now, separate new reports say each could save more lives if they were used more.

One report is from the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies and the GAVI Alliance. GAVI is the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization.

This alliance of public and private groups finances vaccines in poor countries. Spokesman Jeffrey Rowland says GAVI has done a lot since it began ten years ago.

JEFFREY ROWLAND: "We have prevented 5.4 million premature deaths. That means these children will not die of these diseases, 5.4 million, and we hope to prevent 4.2 million premature deaths by keeping immunization rates high over the next five years for basic immunization and rolling out vaccines against pneumonia and rotavirus diarrhea."

GAVI says these two diseases cause more than one-third of all deaths in children under age five. It says new vaccines against the pneumococcal bacteria and rotavirus could save more than one million children each year.

But the group warns that a shortage of four billion dollars threatens these and other immunization programs. Some of these programs have made great progress against polio and other diseases preventable by vaccines.