GAVI

Work Since Inception

Since its inception in 2000, Gavi has helped to immunise a whole generation – over 822 million children – and prevented more than 14 million deaths, helping to halve child mortality in 73 developing countries. Gavi also plays a key role in improving global health security by supporting health systems as well as funding global stockpiles for Ebola, cholera, meningitis and yellow fever vaccines. After two decades of progress, Gavi is now focused on protecting the next generation and reaching the unvaccinated children still being left behind, employing innovative finance and the latest technology – from drones to biometrics – to save millions more lives, prevent outbreaks before they can spread and help countries on the road to self-sufficiency.^[1]

Partners

The Vaccine Alliance brings together developing country and donor governments, the World Health Organization, UNICEF, the World Bank, the vaccine industry, technical agencies, civil society, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and other private sector partners.

Gavi's Impact

• More children survive. The increase in immunisation has helped halve childhood mortality by preventing more than 14 million future deaths and dramatically driven down the incidence of deadly and debilitating infectious diseases.
• Nation building thrives. As children become healthier, they, their families, communities and countries are more able to be economically prosperous and socially stable. For every US$ 1 invested in vaccines in Gavi-supported countries, there is a US$ 54 return in savings from averted illness and broader societal benefits of people living longer, healthier lives. To date, Gavi-supported vaccines have helped generate more than US$ 150 billion in economic benefits since 2000.
• And global health security improves. In the face of global challenges, such as climate change, urbanisation, human migration, fragility and conflict, Gavi has helped countries broaden vaccine coverage and improve their health systems. This makes them less susceptible and better able to prevent disease outbreaks that pose a threat to people in these countries, protecting millions of others around the world.^[2]

Involvement in COVAX

COVAX is one of three pillars of the Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator, which was launched in April 2020 by the World Health Organization (WHO), the European Commission and France in response to this pandemic. Bringing together governments, global health organisations, manufacturers, scientists, private sector, civil society and philanthropy, with the aim of providing innovative and equitable access to COVID-19 diagnostics, treatments and vaccines. The COVAX pillar is focussed on the latter. It is the only truly global solution to this pandemic because it is the only effort to ensure that people in all corners of the world will get access to COVID-19 vaccines once they are available, regardless of their wealth.

COVAX, the vaccines pillar of the Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator, is co-led by CEPI, Gavi and WHO – working in partnership with developed and developing country vaccine manufacturers, UNICEF, the World Bank, and others. It is the only global initiative that is working with governments and manufacturers to ensure COVID-19 vaccines are available worldwide to both higher-income and lower-income countries.

Launch of Pneumococcal vaccine in Zimbabwe

[[Zimbabwe became the 18th GAVI-eligible country in 2012 to roll out pneumococcal vaccines in the developing world since 2010. The then three month-old baby Joe Mahachi was the first child to receive the Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine (PCV 13) at Kuwadzana Polyclinic in the high density surburb of Harare.

“I had brought him in for his usual vaccines,” said Sharon Mahachi, Joe’s mother. “But when I heard that the new vaccine was now being administered I was very keen to have him vaccinated. It’s better to be safe than sorry.”

On 26 July 2012 the Government of Zimbabwe, through its partnership with the GAVI Alliance and support from United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), World Health Organisation (WHO) and USAID, intensified its fight against child mortality and morbidity by introducing the PCV 13 in clinics around Zimbabwe to combat the world’s leading killer of children under five.

Cervical cancer vaccine introduced in Zimbabwe

Girls across Zimbabwe will be protected against one of the country’s most deadly diseases following the introduction of Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine into the country’s routine immunisation programme on 2 May 2018 in a ceremony launched in Harare. Zimbabwe became the eighth African country to introduce HPV vaccine into its routine immunisation programme and the eighth worldwide to do so with Gavi support.

The vaccines, which are funded by Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance and the Government of Zimbabwe, were expected to reach over 800,000 girls aged between 10-14 years old across the country. UNICEF, WHO and partners were to work alongside the Zimbabwe Ministry of Health and Child Care on implementation.

“This is an important event for Zimbabwe for improving women’s health,” said Auxillia Mnangagwa, First Lady of Zimbabwe, speaking at the launch event. “Zimbabwe is highly burdened with cervical cancer and the mortality rate of 64% has to be reversed. Today we are dealing a blow against cervical cancer.”

According to the World Cancer Research Fund, Zimbabwe has the fifth highest burden of cervical cancer in the world. Over a thousand women die from the disease in the country every year, making it the most common cause of cancer in women in the country.

Contact

• Global Health Campus, Chemin du Pommier 40, 1218 Grand-Saconnex, Geneva, Switzerland
• Tel: +41 22 909 6500
• Fax: +41 22 909 6550
• Email: info@gavi.org
• Media Enquiries: media@gavi.org

References