NEWS

GSK and Save the Children have announced that they will be renewing their partnership for an additional five years. GSK plans to invest £15m in the partnership, with the two companies working together to increase rates of childhood vaccination.

The partnership aims to reduce the number of ‘zero dose’children in Ethiopia and Nigeria, meaning children who have never received any routine vaccinations. The two companies have ten years of experience working together, and will now use this experience to develop, pilot and implement tailored approaches to reaching these zero dose childrenTo date, the partnership has reached over 3.5 million children with essential healthcare as well as training over 39,000 health workers in remote and marginalised communities.

Xavier Joubert, country director of Save the Children in Ethopia, commented: “No child should die from a vaccine-preventable disease.

Yet the number of cases and the mortality rate from such diseases, like cholera and measles, are on the rise in Ethiopia and there is an urgent need to address the barriers stopping children from being able to access routine immunisation. We’re delighted to announce this new funding and the opportunity to drive change through the next phase of Save the Children and GSK’s partnership. The timing could not be more apt as world leaders meet at the UN GeneralAssembly to discuss Universal Health Coverage. This issue must be high on the agenda.”

Dr Thomas Breuer, chief global health officer at GSK, added: “Vaccines are some of the most impactful health interventions in existence, but many families cannot access them to benefit from the protection they provide. Working with Save the Children, we can help more children stay healthy and help more parents protect their children from preventable diseases.At GSK, we’re pleased to be renewing our commitment, building on a decade of partnership that has had a significant impact on improving health outcomes for millions of the most vulnerable children.”