In 2000, millions of children in lower-income countries were dying each year from diseases that were preventable with vaccines. To address this disparity, a multi-sectoral effort was launched—a partnership of countries, agencies like WHO, UNICEF and the World Bank, the private sector, civil society, and the Gates Foundation—with the shared goal of saving lives and protecting people’s health by increasing access to vaccines. This partnership became Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance.
Since then, Gavi has become one of the most successful development initiatives in history.
A testament to the power of partnership in building a healthier, more equitable future for all, learn more about Gavi’s work and the impact the alliance has had over the past 25 years:
Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance launches as a public-private partnership with a mission to ensure life-saving vaccinations reach children in lower-income countries.
The Gates Foundation pledges $750 million to support Gavi for its first five years.
Gavi’s vaccine portfolio launches with vaccines protecting against six diseases – hepatitis B, diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis (whooping cough), Haemophilus influenzae type b and yellow fever.
Gavi’s ambition accelerates a process that could have taken decades for new vaccines to reach people around the world.
Five-year commitments from donors top $1 billion providing crucial funds to continue vaccinating the world’s poorest children.
By this time, Gavi has helped immunize 30 million children against hepatitis B, 4.3 million children against Haemophilus influenzae type b, and 1.6 million children against yellow fever.
Gavi has also reached 8.3 million children with basic childhood vaccines who would otherwise have not been reached with any vaccines at all.
Gavi launches the use of vaccine bonds to convert long-term donor pledges into immediate funding for Gavi programs.
It’s called the International Finance Facility for Immunization. It’s the first mechanism of its kind.
Gavi begins supporting an important second dose of measles vaccine for countries that already introduced a first dose.
Measles is one of the deadliest and most contagious infectious diseases – and also one of the most easily preventable.
In 2013, this support will expand to include two doses of the combined measles-rubella vaccine.
By the end of 2023, more than 214 million children will be reached with measles-containing vaccines.
The first doses of Gavi-supported rotavirus vaccine are purchased and introduced into routine immunization systems.
The rotavirus vaccine prevents the deadliest form of diarrheal disease in young children.
A new financing mechanism launches to accelerate the global rollout of the pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV) to protect against pneumonia, the leading infectious cause of death in children.
Launched by Gavi, the Pneumococcal Vaccine Advance Market Commitment will incentivize the creation of new, more affordable PCVs and accelerate introductions in 60 Gavi-eligible lower-income countries.
The first Meningitis A vaccine – MenAfriVac – becomes available for countries as part of Gavi’s portfolio.
Over the next ten years, 360 million people across sub-Saharan Africa will be immunized.
Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccines become available for countries as part of Gavi’s portfolio.
From 2014 to 2023, 27.2 million girls will be fully immunized, which means more than 600,000 cervical cancer deaths averted.
The Inactivated Polio Vaccine (IPV) becomes available for countries with support from Gavi.
By May of 2019, all Gavi supported countries will successfully introduce IPV into their national immunization programs.
Gavi begins funding the Global Oral Cholera Vaccine (OCV) Stockpile to support emergency response, humanitarian crises and preventive vaccination in countries with endemic cholera.
By July of 2024, the stockpile will enable the delivery of 200 million doses to help communities prevent stockouts and mitigate severe outbreaks.
The Government of Rwanda partners with technology company Zipline, Gavi, and others to explore the potential of delivering health products by autonomous drone.
By 2024, a handful of lower-income countries will use drones to overcome challenges in delivering vaccines and other medical supplies to hard-to-reach places.
The typhoid conjugate vaccine (TCV) becomes available for countries as part of Gavi’s portfolio. It’s the first preventative tool providing longer term protection against typhoid in children as young as six months – one of the groups most vulnerable to typhoid.
TCVs also reduce the need for antibiotics, helping to prevent drug-resistant strains of typhoid from emerging and spreading.
Gavi launches the COVAX Advance Market Commitment (AMC) to help ensure COVID-19 vaccines and technical support are available for lower-income countries.
COVAX will deliver nearly 1.9 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines to 146 countries.
Gavi revitalizes the HPV vaccine program with a US$600 million investment to support additional countries that introduce this cancer-preventing vaccine.
With more funding and assistance available for HPV vaccination programs, and support for countries switching to a one-dose HPV vaccine schedule, Gavi aims to reach over 86 million girls with the HPV vaccine by 2025 and potentially avert 1.4 million future deaths from cervical cancer.
Gavi approves the African Vaccine Manufacturing Accelerator (AVMA) to help catalyze the sustainable growth of vaccine manufacturing in Africa.
The first-ever malaria vaccines, RTS,S/AS01 and R21/Matrix-M, are made available for children through the national immunization programs of eligible African countries with Gavi support.
Alongside other critical interventions, these first-generation malaria vaccines can help save thousands more children from this preventable disease.
With continued support for Gavi and partners, we can protect more children against more diseases, faster than ever before. Learn more about Gavi’s work today and what’s needed to ensure it continues. |
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