Highly affordable vaccines are critical for our continued efforts to reduce global childhood mortality

Abstract

Infectious diseases remain a major health threat, not only in resource-poor countries but also in pockets of poverty within middle-income and sometimes high-income countries. Whilst strong research and development for novel vaccines are urgently needed, equal care needs to be taken that current vaccines are produced at affordable prices so that universal childhood immunization will be accomplished. The Serum Institute of India (SII) has become the largest producer of affordable vaccines. Provision of SII produced vaccines against measles, rubella and meningitis to 73 GAVI supported countries alone will avert more than 5 million deaths between 2001 and 2020. Similarly, the SII produced measles vaccine, supplied to UNICEF and PAHO, can be attributed to nearly 22 million averted deaths between 1990 and 2016. Data presented provide compelling evidence for the crucial impact of partnerships between affordable vaccine producers and governmental, intergovernmental and nongovernmental organizations on universal vaccination to reduce childhood mortality.