Bill and Melinda Gates pledge biggest-ever charitable donation - $10 billion - in call for 'Decade of Vaccines'

Surpassing even their own previous enormous give aways, Bill (Microsoft founder and philanthropist and Melinda Gates today announced that their foundation will commit $10 billion over the next 10 years to help research, develop and deliver vaccines for the world's poorest countries, making this the largest ever single charitable donation.

The Gateses said that increased investment in vaccines by governments and the private sector could help developing countries dramatically reduce child mortality by the end of the decade, and they called for others to help fill critical financing gaps in both research funding and childhood immunization programs. The new funding is in addition to the $4.5 billion that the Gates Foundation has already committed to vaccine research, development and delivery over the last 10 years.

Applauded by WHO, but needs to be matched by govts/private sector