Showing progress in the 'decade of vaccines'

In a post on the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation's "Impatient Optimists" blog, Christopher Elias, president of global development at the foundation, discusses progress on "the Decade of Vaccines, a vision and commitment to reach all people with the vaccines they need." He says "the Global Vaccine Action Plan, a roadmap for saving more than 20 million lives by 2020," as well as the GAVI Alliance, UNICEF, WHO, health experts, dedicated vaccinators and many others," are helping "vaccines [reach] more children, in more places, than ever before." According to Elias, the Gates Foundation is "co-hosting a vaccine summit in Abu Dhabi in April" during World Immunization Week. He notes, "We're holding the summit in Abu Dhabi to recognize that Middle Eastern and Islamic countries are emerging as leaders in efforts to immunize children against polio and other diseases" (12/2).