According to a new study carried out by Gavi the Vaccine Alliance, by 2020 vaccination programs will have saved 20 million lives in the world's poorest countries.
Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, previously known as GAVI - Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization, is a public–private global health partnership which goal is to increase access to vaccination and immunisation in the world's poorest countries.
Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance was created in the year 2000, it brings together organizations, governments, research and technical agencies, the vaccine industry in both industrialised and developing countries, private philanthropists. Some of which include the World Health Organization, UNICEF, the World Bank, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation which has donated $750 million in that year, and later in January 2013 another $1500 million. Yes that's Bill Gates the man who created Microsoft, one of the most know and richest man in the world.
20 million lives just in the world's poorest countries is a lot of lives saved and a proof that vaccines DO work really well.
The Gavi supported countries are Afghanistan, Albania, Angola, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Central African Republic (The), Chad, China, Comoros, Congo, Congo, Dr, Côte D’ivoire, Cuba, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gambia, Georgia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Kiribati, Korea, Dpr, Kyrgyzstan, Lao Pdr, Lesotho, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Moldova, Mongolia, Mozambique, Myanmar, Nepal, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Rwanda, Sao Tome And Principe, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Solomon Islands, Somalia, South Sudan, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Ur, Timor Leste, Togo, Turkmenistan, Uganda, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Vietnam, Yemen, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
The impact of vaccination is not only on saving lives but it also has a positive economic impact saving money that otherwise would have to be spent treating the diseases the vaccines would have prevented.
Costs with treatments, loss of productivity caused by illness, disability or death, transport costs etc are all avoided by the vaccination.
As the study says: "Between 2001 and 2020 – just as a result of the vaccinations we investigated – each of our Gavi-supported study countries could expect to avoid a mean of approximately US$5 million in treatment costs per year," which is a lot of money.
"By 2020, vaccines for just 10 diseases will have saved 20 million lives, prevented 500 million cases of illness, and 9 million cases of long-term disability."
"Our examination of the broader economic and social value of vaccines illustrates the substantial gains associated with vaccination,"
The researchers calculated the benefit that vaccination will have brought by 2020 to all the countries in the study, can be equated to US $820 billion, that is US$ 820 000 000 000.
Now I hope this is another point in favour of the vaccination for those who are against it.
Thank you for reading.
Sources:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gavi,_the_Vaccine_Alliance
http://www.sciencealert.com/vaccines-have-saved-nearly-20-million-children-s-lives-in-poor-countries-since-2001
http://www.gavi.org/