May 18, 2011

Gates slams African Leaders Over Vaccine Coverage

Microsoft founder Bill Gates says some African countries are failing to deliver life-saving vaccines to children, hampering billion-dollar efforts to save millions of lives and stamp out deadly diseases.

Once you have vaccines invented and manufactured at low cost, and rich donors paying for them, "you have to have developing countries act to take the vaccines and get them out to all the kids."

Gates' message: Technology is only as effective as the leaders delivering it.
"It is tragic when the last delivery piece holds it back. You have some countries, northern Nigeria, or Chad or the DRC (Democratic Republic of Congo) where less than half the kids right now are getting the vaccines," he said, referring to polio immunization in those countries.
Read the full AFP article.

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