President Mulatu vows to support immunization
Mahlet Fasil
President Dr. Mulatu Teshome of Ethiopia vowed to take a leading role in support of the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (GAVI) mission aimed at increasing access to immunization and saving children’s lives as he lunched the start of the latest immunization campaign in Ethiopia.
“By investing in immunization we are protecting the futuresof our children across Ethiopia, enabling them to grow up healthy and giving them the chance to become productive adults,” said Dr. Mulatu during the launching ceremony at the National Palace on Tuesday April 22nd.
Since 2000 with the support from donors and implementing countries, the GAVI alliance has helped save approximately six million lives by immunizing and additional 440 million children, according to a statement from GAVI. In 2011 donors committed us$ 7.4 billion to the alliances work for the period of 2011-1015 enabling an unprecedented acceleration of vaccine introduction. More than 60 introductions are anticipated in 2014 alone.
Ethiopia represented the second largest investment of the GAVI Alliance with more than us$ 720 million committed for vaccination programs to date.
“Children across Ethiopia are benefiting from GAVI-supported vaccines today and this Presidential support underlines the importance of our mission,” GAVI Deputy CEO Helen Evans said.