Mohamed pledges Dh18M to global vaccine initiative

abu dhabi — His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, has committed $5 million (Dh18.37million) to a global vaccine alliance to support its initiative.

Sheikh Mohamed has provided $33 million for the work of the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation (Gavi) from 2011 to 2015.

Speaking on the occasion, Reem bint Ibrahim Al Hashimy, Minister of State for International Cooperation, said: “The UAE is an integral part of the work and initiatives that seek the best for humanity, highlighting the follow-up of Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed to strengthen partnership with Gavi, to support its initiative, the Uptake, Scale and Equity in Immunisation (Infuse).”

“We believe that Infuse innovations can make a real difference to developing countries and look forward to contributing to their growth to make sure that every child is protected with life-saving vaccines,” the minister added.

“The vaccine alliance plays a pivotal role in encouraging innovation in immunisation and health system strengthening,” said Dr Seth Berkley, CEO of Gavi.

“We are very grateful to the UAE and, in particular, Sheikh Mohamed, for this contribution. Thanks to support from partners like the UAE, we will achieve our goal of reaching 300 million more children with life-saving vaccines by 2020,” he added.

With immunisation systems in developing countries often reliant on technologies that have not been updated in years, Infuse seeks private sector innovations with proven potential to improve vaccine delivery. It then “infuses” each with capital and expertise from alliance partners to fast-track their introduction into national immunisation programmes.

Last month, an Infuse workshop in Barcelona, also attended by a UAE representative, identified several cutting edge innovations which could transform immunisation uptake and health service delivery in the world’s poorest countries. — Wam