US Pledges to Fund Vaccines to Save 4 Million Children

How We Won

Jun 14, 2011

In London on Monday May 15, world leaders and private institutions promised a remarkable $4.3 billion to fund vaccines over the next 5 years. The US pledged $450 million over 3 years—exactly what ONE, and every Change.org member who signed this petition, asked for.

This pledge will make a real difference once the money is delivered. It means vaccines for many deadly and debilitating diseases can now be made available in the poorest countries, including new vaccines for diarrhoea and pneumonia—which account for a third of all child deaths around the world. It's estimated that it will result in 4 million children will be saved, and the lives of 250 million more will be transformed.

You can learn more about this victory in this post from ONE.

Vaccines are often called the best buy in public health.

Now, for the very first time, we have two new vaccines that will help stop pneumonia and diarrhea--two of the biggest killers of kids under 5 around the world. Let's ask President Obama today to help fund these two proven vaccines and save 4 million children's lives in 5 years.

Roughly one of every three child deaths—a total of nearly 3 million each year—is caused by pneumonia or diarrhea; that’s more children’s lives lost than to HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria combined. Vaccines can prevent two diseases that are not typically fatal in the West from becoming a death sentence to children in the developing world.

Not only do vaccines help protect against preventable death from disease, they also help significantly reduce the likelihood of future illness and disability. Vaccines help generate savings by reducing clinic visits and hospitalizations and allowing children and adults to participate in school and work as productive members of society.

Vaccines are called the “best buy in public health” because they have proven again and again to be cheap, easy to administer and effective.  

Supporting vaccines can help dramatically reduce child deaths and give children a healthy start in life. Urge President Obama to fund these new, proven vaccines that will save 4 million children. 

Recent Signatures