Immunization saves up to 3 million children each year

More children than ever before – four out of five – receive immunization. But what about that fifth child? What about the 22 million newborn children around the world who don't – who risk illness, uncertain futures, even death?

In this video published in 2013, UNICEF Executive Director Anthony Lake talks about how immunizing all children, wherever they live, makes moral sense – and economic sense. We can, and we must.

For more information, visit: http://www.unicef.org/immunization/

The WHO Global Vaccine Action Plan (GVAP) – endorsed by the 194 Member States of the World Health Assembly in May 2012 – has the ambitious goal of reaching universal coverage with vaccines worldwide by 2020. The GVAP aims to:

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• accelerate control of vaccine-preventable diseases with polio eradication as the first milestone and step up efforts to eliminate measles, rubella and maternal and neonatal tetanus and other diseases
• strengthen national routine immunization programmes to meet vaccination coverage targets
• introduce new and improved vaccines
• spur research and development for the next generation of vaccines and technologies.

Source: UNICEF and WHO