GAVI calls meeting with existing, potential donors

The GAVI Alliance has "asked existing and potential donors to a meeting in The Hague on March 25 and 26 to challenge them to 'make a strong impact' on childhood death rates," Reuters reports. "GAVI, which is supported by the World Health Organization, the World Bank, UNICEF, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and vaccine makers, says it has 40 percent of the $7 billion it needs between now and 2015 to help" immunize of millions of children in developing countries by 2015, according to the news service.

"With $7 billion, (GAVI) will be able to fully roll out pentavalent vaccine" - which protects against hepatitis B, diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough and Hib - "and introduce new vaccines against pneumococcal disease and rotavirus diarrhea in over 40 countries,' [GAVI] said in a statement. 'These last two vaccines alone can save one million children by 2015,'" reports Reuters. 

"Britain last week pledged 150 million pounds over the next 10 years for GAVI's core funding, a move the group's deputy chief executive Helen Evans said she hoped others would follow," Reuters writes. "This is the first sovereign donor to have made a 10-year commitment to GAVI, and that really helps because it builds predictability into funding ... and actually helps to shape the market for vaccines," Evans said (Kelland, 3/15).