In the News

The Sabin Vaccine Institute Praises Gates Foundation Investment in Vaccines

January 29, 2010

The Sabin Vaccine Institute applauds the generous investment of the Gates Foundation in vaccines. Since its founding in 1993, the Sabin Vaccine Institute has been committed to reducing the suffering caused by preventable infectious and tropical diseases - honoring the legacy of Dr. Albert B. Sabin, the discoverer of the oral polio vaccine as well as several other life-saving interventions. Dr. Sabin shared the Gates Foundation belief that the world should not rest until vaccines are developed and moved off the shelves and into the arms of children.

When the Gates Foundation acts, people listen. This announcement will reverberate throughout the global health community and will also, hopefully, encourage others to invest in vaccine development, research and education.

At Sabin, we work diligently on both vaccine development and research, but also on educating leaders throughout the world on the importance of investing in vaccine programs.

Working through a collaborative product development partnership, we’ve created the first and only vaccine development program targeting human hookworm infection. A hookworm vaccine would help alleviate the worldwide suffering of more than a half-billion infected people, 44 million of whom are pregnant women; and prevent disease in 3.2 billion people that are at risk. We are also developing vaccines for schistosomiasis, another significant neglected tropical disease, which is ravaging entire communities across the globe.

Moreover, our international programs in vaccine advocacy and sustainable immunization financing are using evidence-based approaches to ensure that vaccines that prevent the leading causes of death reach even the world’s poorest people. Research and symposiums sponsored by our PACE program are helping policymakers take steps to reduce the nearly 40% of childhood deaths caused by vaccine-preventable infections, including pneumonia which claims the lives of 2 million children under five each year and of which pneumococcal disease is a leading cause.

The Gates Foundation commitment to vaccines will not only lift millions of people out of poverty, it will save countless lives. This investment is truly a shot in the arm to those of us dedicated to vaccine development. We hope it is also a shot in the arm to governments across the country to embrace the importance of getting vaccines to its citizens.

Dr. Peter Hotez
President, Sabin Vaccine Institute