Plea to PM to save four million children in four hours

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David Cameron and other world leaders have a make-or-break opportunity to help save the lives of four million children in just four hours when he leads a global vaccine summit in London on Monday, according to Save the Children. The charity is urging the Prime Minister and other world leaders to fill the immunisation funding gap at the half-day conference to ensure the world’s poorest children receive life-saving vaccines for major leading childhood illnesses like pneumonia and diarrhoea. The Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation is facing a shortfall of £2.3 billion for its work over the next five years. Without full funding, many children – nearly a quarter of the global child death toll - will continue to die from vaccine-preventable diseases every year.   Justin Forsyth, Save the Children’s Chief Executive, said: “We are on the cusp of an historic breakthrough that would save millions of lives. We have new vaccines to tackle appalling common childhood killers like diarrhoea and more children than ever are getting immunised against illnesses like whooping cough. But without pledges on June 13th, that incredible progress could stall.”   In a new report, entitled “Vaccines for All”, Save the Children said with new funds available, more poor children currently missing out on immunisations taken for granted in the UK, will be saved. It also called on vaccine manufacturers to provide the vaccines at the lowest possible prices, to ensure the maximum number of children is helped.   Justin Forsyth said, “Everyone has to play their part. World leaders have to find the funds, the private sector has to supply the vaccines at special discount prices, and developing world governments have to prioritise the delivery of vaccines, through their national health services, to help millions more children survive.” Save the Children’s report says that immunising children is arguably the greatest health success story of the last century. It highlights: Vaccines save around 7,000 lives a day. But one-fifth of the world’s children – around 24 million – are still missing out on life-saving immunisations. A child who receives all their basic immunisations is at least six times more likely to survive than a child with none.   Three-quarters of unvaccinated children live in just ten countries; India, Nigeria, Pakistan, Indonesia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, China, Uganda, Chad and Kenya. A comprehensive package of vaccines could save an additional two million children’s lives a year by 2015.   A child can be vaccinated against five deadly diseases for less than £5. For more interviews or more information please contact Save the Children’s media unit on +44 207 012 6841 / +44 7831 650 409.   Case studies, photography and b-roll are available.   Notes to editors   According to the report (page 15): :: France has supported GAVI historically, but so far it has not come forward with additional funding that GAVI needs to roll out the new vaccines for pneumonia and diarrhoea. :: Germany has recently increased funding to GAVI, but it has not traditionally been a strong funder of the alliance and is being encouraged to give more.   “Vaccines for all” is downloadable here: http://www.savethechildren.org.uk/en/54_vaccines-for-all.htm   For more information about GAVI go to www.gavialliance.org/index.php