New plan will buy US$200 million in vaccines for poorest countries
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http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2006/11/29/europe/EU_MED_Germany_Vaccine_Aid.php
New plan will buy US$200 million in vaccines for poorest countries
The Associated Press
Published: November 29, 2006
BERLIN: An international organization working to increasing vaccination in the developing world said Wednesday it would devote US$200 million to help poor countries protect children against pneumococcus and rotavirus two leading causes of preventable childhood death.
Officials of the Geneva-based GAVI Alliance said at a news conference in Berlin that they hoped to overcome barriers that often lead to years-long delays before new vaccines introduced in the wealthier parts of the world are put into use in the world's poorest countries.
Pneumococcus is a major cause of pneumonia, meningitis and sepsis, or blood poisoning, while rotavirus causes diarrhea and vomiting. Together, they kill an estimated 1.5 million children each year.
"This new investment in child health care will bring new, live-saving vaccines to the developing world faster than ever before," said Orin Levine, executive director of GAVI's PneumoADIP program aimed at pneumococcus and located at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Heath in the
United States.
He predicted the effort could save some 4 million children through 2025.
The money comes from GAVI's partners, which include national governments, the World Bank and the World Heath Organization, UNICEF, and non-governmental organizations.
The new vaccines will be introduced beginning next year against rotavirus in 13 countries in Latin America and Eastern Europe and against pneumococcal vaccine in up to 10 eligible countries in Africa and South Asia.
One reason vaccine availability lags is cost, as new vaccines are generally more expensive when they are first introduced; other factors are inadequate infrastructure and lack of planning.
The oral vaccines against rotavirus are RotaTeq, made by Merck, and Rotarix, created by AVANT and licensed to GlaxoSmithKline. The pneumococcus vaccine is Prevnar, manufactured by Lederle Laboratories Division and marketed by Wyeth Pharmaceuticals.
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Claudio Schuftan
mailto:claudio@hcmc.netnam.vn