The British High Commission in Nigeria says the UK Prime Minister will host a Global Vaccine Summit on June 4.

The commission,  in a statement on Tuesday, said that the summit would bring together, leaders from around the world to a virtual event to pledge their support to Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance.

It said the aim was to further protect  300 million children against infectious diseases like measles, typhoid and polio.

According to the commission, the global vaccine summit aims to raise at least 7.4 billion US Dollars to help Gavi save up to 8 million lives.

It said that the UK would continue its global leadership on tackling preventable deaths and stopping the spread of the Coronavirus.

According to the statement, the UK is proud to be Gavi’s leading donor, and on April 29,  the International Development Secretary pledged the equivalent of 330 million pounds a year over the next five years from the aid budget to protect 75 million children from preventable diseases.

It said that Gavi was a crucial partner in the fight against infectious diseases globally, including Coronavirus.

The commission said that with the support of UK Aid, Gavi had immunised over 760 million children in the world’s poorest countries, saving more than 13 million lives.

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According to the commission, between 2000 and 2023 Gavi has committed over 3 billion US dollars alone to Nigeria to combat diseases like Measles, Meningitis and Yellow Fever.

Speaking on the upcoming Summit, the British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Catriona Laing said: “Producing a vaccine for COVID-19 is a priority for the UK government as this will help save lives in Nigeria and globally from the deadly virus.

“Gavi is already working hard with partners to ensure any future vaccine that is safe and effective is delivered at scale around the world.

“We welcome Gavi’s partnership with Nigeria over the years, which has helped to fight diseases such as yellow fever, meningitis and measles by improving immunisation rates and strengthening the health systems across the country.

“I welcome the international recognition Nigerians have received for their role in supporting the global effort to find a cure and stop the spread of the Coronavirus.

” Gavi’s has also given recognition to the Nigerian Public Health and Health Promotion Specialist, Dr Obinna Ebirim, for his tireless and passionate advocacy for equitable access to vaccines and sustainable immunisation financing in Nigeria,” Laing said.

Commenting on the upcoming summit, Health Promotion Specialist, Dr Obinna Ebirim said:

“Gavi is known to supporting health systems by ensuring  that vaccines get to the last mile where they are used to vaccinate children and prevent diseases.

“As we move toward the Global Vaccine Summit to be hosted by the United Kingdom, I call on countries and donors to support the work Gavi is doing, ” Ebirim said.

He said that supporting Gavi meant assisting vaccination programmes in poor and remote communities around the world including Nigeria.

“ One of the things we have learnt from COVID-19 pandemic is that what affects the health of one country affects the health of everyone, ” Ebirim said.

He noted that the UK had committed an additional 20 million Pounds through the African Union’s new ‘Africa anti-COVID -19 fund’ to recruit and deploy health experts where they were needed most, to tackle the pandemic.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

NAN