ABSTRACT
The Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (GAVI) was created in 1999 in response to stagnating immunization rates and widening global disparities in access to vaccines. The establishment in 1994 of the Global Programme for Vaccines and Immunization (GPV) at the World Health Organisation headquarters reflected the new priorities identified by the Children’s Vaccine Initiative. The Global Initiative to eradicate poliomyelitis was launched by the World Health Assembly. The programme is based on increasing the immunization coverage of children under five years of age with the effective oral polio vaccine. GAVI sees immunization as a fundamental cornerstone of global health, a key component of economic development, and an essential first step in enabling each child to reach his or her fullest physical and intellectual potential. National and international public health needs the vaccine industry for its capacity in research and development of new vaccines, its production of existing vaccines, its capacity to deliver vaccines.
