Gavi and the UK can turn a new page together

An Expert View from  the new chief executive of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, Sania Nishtar.

The last time there was a transition of power in the UK to the Labour Party was 27 years ago in 1997. Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, did not yet exist. Globally, that year more than 10 million children under-five died from vaccine-preventable diseases like pneumonia, diarrhoea and measles – double the number of deaths of children under-five that we see today. And there were more than 5,000 cases of wild poliovirus recorded in 50 countries in 1997, compared with a handful of cases restricted to just two countries today.

Successive UK governments have played a significant role in these transformations by making political and economic investments in innovations that have paid off by improving health outcomes around the world. Gavi is a prime example. Since the UK helped found Gavi in 2000, the Vaccine Alliance has immunized more than one billion children, prevented more than 17 million deaths, generated more than $200 billion in economic benefits in Gavi-implementing countries, and enabled children to live happier and healthier lives and fulfil their potential. Now, as the alliance plans to vaccinate a further 500 million children between 2026 and 2030, we have a perfect opportunity to reflect on whether global health initiatives like Gavi are still aligned with the government’s priorities.