Australia to pledge $207 million for vaccine program in Indo-Pacific region

Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne on June 4 reportedly said that country will pledge $207 million to provide vaccines to children in Indo-Pacific region. Payne in a statement said that immunisation saves lives and COVID-19 pandemic has served as yet ar reminder than investing in vaccine access is critical to regional health security. 

Australian Prime Minister will be making pledge at Global Vaccine Summit which is hosted by British Prime Minister Boris Johnson to raise funds for GAVI vaccine alliance, which is a public-private global health partnership. GAVI is backed by Bill and Malinda Gates Foundation, World Health Organisation, World Bank, UNICEF and ors, it arranges bulk buys to reduce vaccine costs for poor countries. 

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Global Vaccine Summit is aimed to raise at least $7.4 billion for GAVI to immunise approximately 300 million children in world’s poorest countries by 2025 against diseases such as polio, diphria and measles. pledge by Australia will reportedly help to ensure that GAVI maintains a strong focus in Indo-Pacific region. Overall, GAVI will be spending $800 million over five years in a bid to provide access to vaccines for 140 million children in Indo-Pacific. 

As per reports, under program, four million children in Indonesia will access pneumococcal vaccines at a quarter of commercial cost. Moreover, 400,000 children in Papua New Guinea will also have access to vaccines under program. GAVI will be providing $200 million to continue immunisation programs where possible during coronavirus pandemic. 

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1.5 million children alrey vaccinated 

program will later also organise ‘catch-up immunisation campaigns’. While speaking to an international media outlet, Alex Hawke, Australia’s Minister for International Development and Pacific, said that more than 1.5 million children in Pacific and Timor-Leste h previously been vaccinated under program. 

With massive disruptions to global immunisation programmes from COVID-19 pandemic, health experts fear that much of developing world will t be able to get a vaccine for virus even once it is rey. According to UN ncies and GAVI vaccine alliance, nearly 80 million children in at least 68 countries may be at risk of diphria, measles and polio because routine immunisation efforts have been thrown into disarray by travel restrictions, delivery delays and parents’ fear of leaving home. 

(Im: AP)

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