UNICEF plans major global vaccine program expansion

UNICEF is preparing ambitious plans to update, strengthen and vastly expand its global vaccination programme. Vaccination has always been at the heart of UNICEF’s mission. Protecting children from life-threatening diseases is one of the most effective ways to ensure they have the chance to reach their full potential. UNICEF is an influential player in the world vaccine market. In 2010, it supplied vaccines worth $757 million. Nevertheless, it is taking a critical look at its role in immunization, and is gearing up to triple its capacity over the next five years. “We need to strengthen what we do, so that the role that we and governments play in delivering immunization is much more solid,” said UNICEF Chief of Immunization Jos Vandelaer. Bolstering existing systems Immunization is a rapidly changing field. Existing vaccines are constantly being updated and new, and often more expensive, vaccines are continually introduced to the market. Vaccines have recently been developed for...