The outbreak of the Ebola virus in West Africa
underlines one of the biggest threats to the
continent: Disease. This includes many
illnesses such as measles, meningitis A and
whooping cough that are easily prevented in
wealthier countries through routine
immunization. In Africa and in the countries
that do not have access to those vaccines, the
diseases claim the lives of tens of thousands
each year.
In fact, while four out of five children globally
now receive at least a basic set of vaccines,
there still are 1.5 million children who die each
year from vaccine-preventable diseases, mostly
in poor countries. We must reach that fifth
child.
In late May, in Nigeria’s capital of Abuja, African
leaders endorsed the Immunise Africa 2020
declaration, committing themselves to invest
in a healthy and sustainable future for all of
their nations’ children and to protect them
from disease.
Such statements are important because only
through the power of our convictions can we
truly bring about positive change.
It is not easy in countries with undeveloped
transportation infrastructure, intermittent
electricity, inadequate technology and,
sometimes, war. Nevertheless change is
occurring. Since 2001, there have been no
fewer than 140 new vaccine launches in Africa,
thanks to commitments by their leaders
alongside support from my organization, the
GAVI Alliance, which brings together UNICEF,
the World Health Organization, World Bank, Bill
& Melinda Gates Foundation, private sector and
civil society, as well as the Global Poverty
Project. Working together, we have seen a
significant increase in immunization coverage
in Africa — from 10% in 1980 to 72% in 2012.
This has not been an easy task, and challenges
remain. Vaccines must be kept cool to maintain
their potency during transport, often to
remote areas. Many clinics do not have
sufficient or functioning equipment to keep
vaccines cool. There also are shortages of
data-collection tools to keep accurate records,
making it hard to know if a child has received a
vaccine. It can even be hard to alert a parent
to bring a child to a local vaccination session
to be immunized.
Now, Africa’s 50-plus nations will commit
more than $700 million directly toward the
cost of childhood vaccines through the GAVI
Alliance for our 2016 to 2020 strategy cycle.
This would make the continent of Africa among
the largest investors in immunization programs
supported by our Alliance, whose leading
individual donors include the United Kingdom,
Norwegian and U.S. governments, as well as
the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. This kind
of commitment sends strong signals of
increasing ownership by African leaders and a
shift in developmental aid away from the
traditional model of charity toward one built on
partnership.
The GAVI Alliance was built on this model and,
since it was founded in 2000, it has helped
immunize 440 million people, which will save 6
million lives. Now, there is a real opportunity
to do more. The Alliance has a roadmap to
ramp up its activities and immunize another
300 million children by 2020. This will avert
the deaths of an additional 5 million to 6
million people.
At a time when the economies of many donors
are still in a delicate state of recovery, it will
take commitment and conviction by donors to
achieve this goal, alongside the resolve of
African leaders and support of global citizens.
The United States, for example, has been a
major supporter of childhood immunization,
contributing $1.2 billion to the GAVI Alliance
since 2000. This year, the Obama
administration has requested a record $200
million for the Alliance for fiscal year 2015.
While Congress must finalize this level of
funding, both the House and Senate have
included $200 million in their respective
funding bills.
None of us can do it alone. Through
partnership, we can help protect the world’s
most vulnerable children.
www.msnbc.com/msnbc/immunizing-africa-committing-healthy-future#b09g03t20w14

vaccinations are scams ..

9jawear:
vaccinations are scams ..

my brother it's real, even the illiterates in some our remote villages like in the north have embraced it. Dear you are moribund