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April 15, 2002

INTERNATIONAL IMMUNIZATION NEWS

"Officials From 32 Countries Call for More Money for Vaccinating Children" Associated Press (www.ap.org) (04/12/02)

Following a three-day conference in Capetown, South Africa, on international funding for vaccines, 32 countries issued a joint plea for more financial support to prevent childhood deaths from vaccine-preventable diseases.  At the meeting, delegates heard that each year, 2 million children die from diseases that could be prevented by vaccines, and measles--the vaccine for which costs just 11 cents a dose, takes the lives of almost 800,000 children each year.  The nations called for long-term funding of vaccination programs and research into new vaccines, such as an HIV vaccine.  Seth Berkley, head of the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative, said the world's response to the epidemic has been lacking, and he noted that there are 15,000 new HIV infections every day.

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