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

Tuesday, February 26, 2013

Adding more children’s vaccines to the recommended package should–in theory–save more lives. But rising prices may actually mean fewer children are vaccinated.

Over the past 10 years, the cost countries pay to buy the main recommended vaccines for a child grew a whopping 2,666%, from less than $1.50 to nearly $40, according to a Médecins Sans Frontières report. That’s 26 times the cost. Rotavirus and pneumococcal vaccines make up 74% of the total cost to vaccinate a child. Most families in developing countries cannot afford those prices without financial support.