Vaccinations where they’re needed most

As David Cameron prepares to pledge millions of UK aid towards vaccines at a conference on June 13th, international health charity Merlin urges the money to be spent where the most children’s lives will be saved. 50 per cent of all children who die before their fifth birthday are born in forgotten or conflict-ridden countries such as Afghanistan, the Central African Republic and Somalia. Afghanistan has the world’s second highest number of child deaths with nearly 20 per cent of Afghan children dying before their fifth birthday. Yet fragile states are not prioritised or even meaningfully supported within the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation (GAVI), the international body of which the UK is the largest government donor and which is co-hosting the pledging conference in London. Really pledging to save the lives of the world’s most vulnerable children? GAVI is seeking an additional $3.7billion to help...