Gates Foundation calls for investments for vaccines

May 17th, 2011 - 10:10 pm ICT by IANS  

New Delhi, May 17 (IANS) Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Tuesday asked government leaders from across the globe to increase their investments in vaccines with better accountability towards children, a statement from the foundation said.

“Strong immunisation systems will put an end to polio and help us reach all children with five to six new vaccines. We can save four million lives by 2015, and 10 million lives by 2020,” Bill Gates, co-chair of the foundation, said in the statement released for the 64th World Health Assembly in Geneva.

“We praise countries such as India and Nigeria who have increased immunisation rates in their states, apart from the success of the new Meningitis A vaccine that was rolled out in Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger last December,” the statement added.

The foundation emphasised on donor countries to increase their investment in vaccines and immunisation, while pharmaceutical companies could make sure vaccines are affordable for poor countries.

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