Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 30 March 2011 -- Vaccines save millions of lives in developing countries; eradicated smallpox; lowered the global incidence of polio by 99 percent since 1988; and have achieved dramatic reduction in morbidity and mortality from a wide range of vaccine preventable diseases.
However, the cost of immunizing a child exceeds the total per capita governments spend on all health care in many developing nations. Sustainable vaccine financing increasingly represents a critical aspect of maintaining a stable vaccination program.