NextBillion - An Initiative of the William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan

Tuesday, May 26, 2015

Governments meeting in Geneva for the annual World Health Assembly raised the alarm Sunday on the exorbitant rise in the price to vaccinate a child, and took a decisive step towards addressing the problem by passing a resolution which called for more affordable vaccines and greater transparency of vaccine prices. The resolution was adopted by all member states, with more than 60 countries – including Algeria, Australia, Brazil, Colombia, Lebanon, Libya, Ecuador, Egypt, Indonesia, Niger, Nigeria, South Africa, Thailand, Pakistan, the Philippines, and the Republic of Korea, among others – explicitly stating their support for the resolution and concerns about high vaccine prices during the deliberations.

The international medical humanitarian organization Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) welcomed the strong signal sent by governments.

“While it’s positive to see countries standing up for the health of their people, it also reflects the sad reality that vaccines are becoming increasingly too expensive for a large part of the world’s population,” said Dr. Manica Balasegaram, Executive Director for MSF’s Access Campaign.