Bill Gates pledges $10bn for a 'decade of vaccine'

Bill Gates, the Microsoft founder and philanthropist, is to make the largest ever single charitable donation with a pledge of $10 billion (£6 billion) for vaccine work over the next decade.

Mr Gates said that he hoped the coming ten years would be the “decade of the vaccine” to reduce dramatically child mortality in the world’s poorest countries. It is calculated that his pledge could save more than 8 million lives.

Mr Gates and his wife, Melinda, made their announcement at the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting at Davos, Switzerland, where they were joined by Julian Lob-Levyt, the head of the vaccine consortium, the GAVI Alliance.

Swine flu IV

There are delays in getting flu vaccine in our area, and some flu-shot clinics are being postponed.

The H-1-N-1 vaccine has only been offered to health care workers and other at-risk groups so far. It should also be available to the general public starting next month.

HIV vaccine: doubts over trial

Just a few weeks ago, some scientists thought they were one step closer to finding a vaccine for HIV/Aids.

In the large-scale trial in Thailand, a combination of vaccines seemed to give volunteers a protective effect of 31%. However, new data, being published at a conference in Paris, is believed to question that assertion.