Today, I am thankful for those who truly espouse to the mantra: No child left behind.
With today’s blog (May 1), I’ll be culminating my week-long quest to commemorate World Immunization Week (WIW) by shining just a bit more light on the power of vaccination.
It is one thing to make a vaccine. It’s a whole another thing to figure out a way to distribute vaccines to all the children who need them. Although vaccination campaigns have been well coordinated in the developing world, thanks to the guidance and input of organizations such as the United States Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices and government-funded national immunization groups, it is a bit more difficult to do so in lower income countries (LIC) where poverty, famine, and poor infrastructure are commonplace.
In fact, at around the turn of the 20th Century, the noble efforts of a few to immunize the world’s children were facing notable headwinds. At that time, nearly 30 million children around the world were not receiving the staple of vaccines needed to prevent them from deadly diseases, such as measles, rubella, tetanus, or diphtheria. Despite incredible advances in new vaccines, these innovations were not reaching the kids who might benefit from them the most, especially those residing in LICs.
Enter in the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the World Bank, and the World Health Organization (WHO). Together, these organizations had the foresight and vision to establish the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (also known briefly as GAVI, the Vaccine Alliance). The primary mission of GAVI is simple: to bring life-saving vaccines to children in LIC. In other words, this global public-private partnership has the sole mission to create equal access of vaccines to the poorest children in the world. Founded in 2000, GAVI has probably saved more children’s lives than any other global initiative.
I thought it might help to share some of the eye-opening statistics to illustrate the GAVI success story. Since its inception two decades ago, GAVI has immunized more than 760 million children against a variety of infections, and the annual number of immunizations continues to grow. Today, GAVI distributes vaccines you 49.2% of the world’s children for diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, measles, polio, meningococcus, pneumococcus, H. influenzae B, rotavirus, and human papilloma virus (HPV). GAVI’s reach has likely averted 13 million future deaths. Amazingly, they reach close to 80% of the children in these poorest countries. Just in 2018 alone, 68 million children were vaccinated in close to 50 countries, as a result of GAVI’s stellar efforts.
What is even more impressive is that GAVI helps to create a virtuous cycle. GAVI is founded on the principle that as greater immunization coverage is implemented in a country, the population becomes more productive and achieves greater prosperity; in turn, countries are able to pay for their vaccine programs and transition out of the program. In fact, 15 countries have actually transitioned out of GAVI support. Some estimate that each dollar spent through GAVI actually saves $21 in healthcare costs, lost wages, or lost productivity due to vaccine-preventable illness. If one also takes into consideration the benefits that come from living longer, the savings go up to $54 for every dollar spent.
The work GAVI does is not only admirable, it also saves lives. Now, tell me, is there a better way to end my tribute to WIW and ring in May Day than to call out the success of GAVI?
Happy 20th birthday, GAVI!
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