More than 300 global leaders, health and development experts, vaccinators, and business leaders will come together for the first Global Vaccine Summit to endorse the critical role that vaccines and immunisation play in giving children a healthy start to life.

Despite tremendous progress, one child still dies every 20 seconds from preventable diseases like pneumonia, rotavirus, measles, and meningitis.

The summit, focused on the power of vaccines, is being held during World Immunisation Week (April 24 to 30) to continue the momentum of the Decade of Vaccines - a vision and commitment to reach all people with the vaccines they need. Ending polio is a critical milestone in this vision.

Bill Gates, co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, will deliver a keynote to celebrate progress and honour the individuals, communities, partners and nations that have made success possible.

"Vaccines work to save lives and protect children for a lifetime," said Bill Gates, co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. "By investing in stronger immunisation systems, we can protect our gains against polio and reach mothers and children with other health services."

“The world is coming together around the Global Vaccine Action Plan, endorsed by nearly 200 countries last May, to develop better and more affordable vaccines and deliver them through stronger routine immunisation systems.”

“If we succeed, we can save more than 20 million lives and prevent nearly one billion illnesses by 2020. This will save nearly $12 billion in treatment costs and achieve more than $800 billion in economic gains as vaccinated children live longer, healthier, more productive lives,” Gates said.

"The Global Vaccine Summit is an historic gathering of global leaders and innovators whose collaboration can have a significant and positive impact on ensuring a healthy global society. Under the guidance of Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE and Ruler of Abu Dhabi, we remain committed to supporting the delivery of lifesaving vaccines to children around the world," said Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. 

"Immunisation is one of the most cost-effective ways to prevent disease and safeguard young lives," said UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. "The global success so far in fighting polio shows how far we can advance. Our great progress came thanks to an international alliance of partners. Today, we have a window of opportunity to end polio forever."

The summit begins in Abu Dhabi tomorrow and is being held in partnership with general Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces; the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon; and Bill Gates, co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Summit attendees, including ministers of health, front-line health care workers, international non-governmental organisations and donors, will discuss how the global community can assure that children everywhere have access to vaccines, how the roadmap to polio eradication works, and the opportunities afforded by new vaccine and delivery innovations.

The organising partners of the Global Vaccine Summit are Unicef, WHO,  Global Polio Eradication Initiative, Gavi Alliance, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. – TradeArabia News Service