Al Jazeera programs examine vaccine funding, efforts to fight malaria, TB, HIV

Al Jazeera's "Inside Story" on Friday examined whether funding and political will can keep pace with efforts to vaccinate every child worldwide. The 25-minute video program, "with presenter Shiulie Ghosh, discusses with guests: Kate Elder from Doctors Without Borders; Adel Mahmoud, a global health specialist at Princeton University, and former president of Merck Vaccines," Al Jazeera writes. The news service notes the WHO "estimates that immunization prevents up to three million deaths every year, but it says an estimated 22 million children worldwide are missing out on basic vaccines" (4/26).

The news agency's "South to North" on Sunday examined efforts to fight malaria, tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS, "three infectious diseases that account for 10 percent of all deaths worldwide." In the 25-minute video program, host "Redi Tlhabi speaks to Dr. Lucica Ditiu, the executive secretary of the Stop TB Partnership based at the [WHO] in Geneva; and Dr. Mphu Ramatlapeng, the executive vice president at the Clinton Health Access Initiative and Lesotho's former health minister," Al Jazeera notes. "Tlhabi also speaks to music legend Yvonne Chaka Chaka, the 'Princess of Africa,' about her work in creating awareness around malaria, as the world marks Malaria Day on 25 April," the news service writes (4/28).