Bill and Melinda Gates $10 Billion Vaccination Pledge Strikes Home

When I read Bill Gate's Twitter announcement here (yes, Gates is on Twitter, having arrived there relatively recently ) about his pledge with wife, Melinda, to give $10 billion to help provide vaccinations to children in some of the poorest areas of the world, those most in need, the information struck home. The money will be given through the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. The announcement was made at the World Economic Forum (WEF) annual meeting.

Although our family is privileged to live in the United States, we have had first-hand experience in adopting a child from one of the world's poorest countries, Romania, at a time when vaccinations were not routinely given to many children, especially orphans. Even if given, vaccination records were questionable or nonexistent. When our child came to us, we had to repeat all necessary immunizations, due to poor immunization records. It felt odd to have to worry about whether our child could be vulnerable to measles or diphtheria.

Bill and Melinda Gates Motivated by Vaccination Progress

Even before this recent pledge and push to immunize more children, a higher percentage of kids in need have gotten basic vaccinations than ever before, indicating crucial progress has been made. Imagine if your child didn't have access to basic shots that we take for granted in the United States. Imagine if your child was truly at risk of contracting polio. It is hard to conceive of that, isn't it? But that is exactly the case in many areas of the world, where parents not only have to struggle to put food on the table but wonder if their children will fall prey to diseases that could be easily prevented with a simple shot or two.

Progress is being made. From 2000-2009, 79 percent of the children in the poorest countries have received the DPT3 vaccine. But if that percentage could be boosted to 90 percent of the children in developing countries having access to immunizations, many more children's lives could be saved. If combined with other efforts, including developing a better malaria vaccine and other new immunizations, the numbers of lives saved could soar, reaching nearly 9 million children (8.7 million).

The money is there, ready to be used, thanks to Bill and Melinda Gates. The billions of dollars pledged will help promote research on new vaccines as well as getting immunizations to more children who aren't routinely getting them. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has already pledged $4.5 billion to vaccine research so the additional $10 billion is an additional windfall.

Personal Experience Underscores Need for Increased Global Vaccination Efforts

Years ago, we adopted a child whose vaccination records were questionable. At the time, we contacted Jane Aronson, the same adoption specialist now used by Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt. Aron filled us in on details about international adoption and told us what to expect. We were advised to network with others and find out about Romanian immunization procedures and records. According to information from the American Academy of Pediatrics, "The majority (65%) of internationally adopted children had no written records of overseas immunizations." We were among those who wondered if the paperwork was accurate, having heard from so many parents whose children got ill or seemed to have weakened or no vaccinations.

We knew there was a need for more vaccination efforts in the poorest countries as well as detailed and accurate records. Without written record, we had no choice but to repeat vaccinations on our son. We needed records for our son to attend school. But we'd have done it anyway. Knowing our son's vaccinations were up to date was well worth it for peace of mind. Shouldn't all parents have that peace of mind, knowing that their children don't have to get sick or die for lack of a vaccination?

How Will Bill and Melinda Gates Vaccine Money Be Used?

Although there are a number of options for the billions pledged by Bill Gates and his wife, research into developing new vaccines and reaching more children with already developed immunizations will probably be a priority. Delivering the shots to the kids can also be difficult so better and quicker methods for transporting the vaccinations speedily will be a priority.

Resources:

Bill Gates Twitter page announcement at http://twitter.com/BillGates

Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation: here

Personal experience

Official Journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics, Vol 109, Number 2,
Evaluating Acceptability and Completeness of Overseas Immunization Records of Internationally Adopted Children