Gates appeals for “decade of vaccines”

GENEVA, (Reuters) – Bill Gates called today for  strengthened immunisation programmes against infectious diseases  to save 4 million lives by 2015 and 10 million lives by 2020  during a “decade of vaccines”.
The Microsoft founder and philanthropist said five or six  new vaccines could be available by the end of the decade and  urged pharmaceutical manufacturers to make them affordable for  poor countries.
“If donors are generous, we will prevent 4 million deaths by  2015. By 2020, we can prevent 10 million deaths,” Gates,  co-chair of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, said.
He was addressing the annual assembly of the World Health  Organisation (WHO) in Geneva, attended by health ministers from  the U.N. agency’s 193 member states.
All countries should aim to have 90 percent immunisation  coverage against diseases including polio, meningitis and  pneumonia, Gates said.
“We can meet these goals with your leadership. And that will  be critical to really making this the decade of vaccines,” he  said. “It might be the most difficult thing we’ve ever done, but  it will also be the most important.”