A campaign to immunise all of the world's children has been launched by the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisations (GAVI).
GAVI is to tackle the 30 million children born each year who do not receive the "basic six" immunisations (polio, diphtheria, tuberculosis, pertussis, measles and tetanus). In addition, it aims to reduce the disparity in the number of vaccines available to children in industrialised and developing countries and to increase investment in vaccine research and development for diseases such as malaria, HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis. GAVI has obtained agreement from the pharmaceutical industry to accelerate the delivery of vaccines for yellow fever, hepatitis B and Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib). GAVI is a group made up of business leaders, philanthropic foundations, development banks, UN agencies and national governments.