Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance

Ending polio isn’t just a goal, it’s a promise to children everywhere. With support from global partners, governments, and health workers, we won’t stop until the job is done. #EndPolio #WorldPolioDay Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) UNICEF World Health Organization Rotary International Gates Foundation

“Antibiotics did more than vanquish diseases; they permitted the entire edifice of modern medicine to be built up on their foundation.” ‘Dangerous Miracle,” by Liam Shaw, is a sweeping account of the rise and precarious future of antibiotics. Read the full book review via Undark Magazine:

Congratulations Georgina Baker! We’re looking forward to welcoming your leadership and expertise to secure rapid, flexible funding for lifesaving vaccines. We’d also like to thank Kenneth Lay for all his support for our mission since 2021!       Since its launch in 2006, IFFIm - the International Finance Facility for Immunisation has contributed more than US$ 6.2 billion to Gavi, accelerating vaccine delivery to more than 1.1 billion children in the world’s poorest countries and saving 18.8 million lives.   

Ghana has officially introduced the HPV vaccine into its national immunisation program, making this life-saving protection against cervical cancer free and accessible to girls across the country. With support from Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, over 2.4 million girls aged 9-14 will be protected from one of the leading causes of death among women in Ghana. "Prevention is better than cure," and this nationwide campaign is proof that when we invest in girls' health, we invest in the future. 🩵

What does it take to reach and protect refugees during a cholera outbreak? Gavi’s Pietro Di Mattei and Ferdinand Abassa visited Chad to find out on a join mission with The Gates Foundation, Dangote Foundation and Alliance partners.    The mission followed the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the Government of Chad, Gavi, Gates Foundation, Dangote Foundation, UNICEF, World Health Organization and United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) to support the national immunisation program in 16 priority provinces. The visit was a key opportunity for all partners involved to discuss the operationalisation of this agreement.      The delegation conducted a visit to the east of the country to witness the response to a cholera outbreak. Gavi is supporting the Government with funding to provide immunisation services to refugees and supporting the cholera response through a reactive vaccination campaign.     The delegations travelled with the Minister of Health to Adre, Ouaddai Province, and conducted a joint visit to one of the refugee camps in Aboutengue where Gavi, in partnership with IRC through the zero-dose immunisation programme, is supporting the Ministry of Health in delivery of essential services to refugees.    The joint Alliance mission also conducted a review of the progress and challenges of the ‘Big Catch-Up’ initiative to reverse the decline in childhood vaccination recorded during the COVID-19 pandemic. The objective was to develop an acceleration plan for the remaining months of the initiative until March 2026. 

Check out this week’s edition of Pascal Barollier’s Global Health Notes newsletter to learn:     🇳🇬 How a once hesitant community in Nigeria changed its mind about vaccines  🦠 How microplastic pollution is worsening the threat of antimicrobial resistance  🥼 How over 5,000 health workers are shifting from offering access to actively pursuing health equity    And more! Read here:  

Between 2005 and 2015 alone, a mysterious kidney disease has affected 34,000 people and killed more than 4,500 across southeast India. The toll is still rising, and the exact cause remains unknown. Researchers claim that several factors, including prolonged heat exposure, physical stress, pesticide use and contaminated water may be contributors, but none have been definitely proven. Why is it so hard to determine the exact cause? And how do health officials respond to such a mysterious and chronic condition? Read Kanika Gupta’s report to find out:

From changing perceptions to ensuring a steady supply of vaccines, the Democratic Republic of the Congo is reducing the number of zero-dose children by breaking down barriers and empowering health workers.     Health workers in the DRC must navigate vaccine stockouts, long journeys to health clinics and unreliable immunisation schedules to reach and protect their community.    We’re proud to support locally-led initiatives to help overcome the logistical, social and cultural barriers that keep families from accessing immunisation.    Read our latest dispatch here: https://bit.ly/4opze2K  

In Nigeria’s Ondo State, a parasitic scourge is lurking in contaminated water. Bilharzia – also called schistosomiasis – affects about 240 million people worldwide. Nigeria carries the largest bilharzia burden in the world. Bilharzia mostly affects poor people in rural areas and can cause kidney and bladder damage, genital lesions and infertility. With one million cases in Ondo State, the Ministry of Health sprang into action with a treatment drive that reached more than 2 million people in 700 communities in February alone. The availability of an effective treatment coupled with awareness campaigns has turned the tide and Ondo State is now “winning the war” against Bilharzia.

Microplastics can carry drug-resistant bacteria and genes across borders – from land to sea, and even into food chains. Learn how a global pollution issue is fuelling a human health crisis: https://bit.ly/4hhFtDg