Abu Dhabi: Nearly 6.9 million children around the world still die annually from vaccine-preventable diseases, renowned technology pioneer and humanitarian Bill Gates said in the capital on Wednesday.
“A child born in a low-income country is still 18 times more likely to die before five years of age than a child born in a high-income country,” Gates said at the opening ceremony of the first Global Vaccine Summit.
He therefore called out to international governments, philanthropic organisations, vaccine manufacturers, donors, volunteers, investors and parents to ensure that children receive the life-saving drugs that protect against infectious diseases.
“About 22 million infants did not receive vaccines in 2010, mainly in low-income countries. This means that the people who are getting vaccines to protect themselves from diseases are [the ones who] are at the least risk of being infected,” Gates highlighted.
He also focused on how the world is now on the brink of eradicating polio. “We have achieved 99 per cent eradication, but Afghanistan, Pakistan and Nigeria still have polio,” Gates said.
Overwhelming challenges are also present in the delivery of vaccines for other preventable diseases, such as measles, tuberculosis, diphtheria, tetanus, etc. In addition, there is a disparity in vaccine availability in low-income countries compared to high-income countries, a situation that Gates said needs to be corrected.
“This Global Vaccine Summit is therefore important to right this wrong. We need to improve the coverage of vaccines for all children. We also need to innovate and create new vaccines against deadly diseases such as Aids, dengue and malaria,” Gates said.
For now, the top priority for the foundation of which Gates is a co-chair, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, is the eradication of polio.
