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November 20, 2002

INTERNATIONAL IMMUNIZATION NEWS

"Vaccines Could Halt Third World Health Crisis"

USA Today (www.usatoday.com) (11/20/02) P. 9D; Manning, Anita

A new report by the World Health Organization, the World Bank and UNICEF warns of dire consequences if more is not done to improve the access of Third World nations to health services and new vaccines.  The warning addresses troubling findings published in the "State of the World's Vaccines and Immunization" report, which found that the poorest 20 percent of the world's people see over 50 percent of all child deaths from whooping cough, polio, measles, diphtheria and tetanus.  The report points out that new vaccines for hepatitis and Haemophilus influenzae are readily available for children in developed countries, but in underdeveloped areas like sub-Saharan Africa, only half of children get basic immunizations.  The report concludes that more money needs to be spent on research and development and on more equitable access to vaccines to children in poor countries.

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