Ethiopian Herald: Africa: Now Is the Time to Reach Every Child with Life-Saving Vaccines
Matshidiso Moeti, WHO regional director for Africa, and Ala Alwan, WHO regional director for the Eastern Mediterranean

“Africa has an incredible opportunity to provide a better life for each and every child, and we know exactly how to seize it — provide universal access to immunization across the continent to protect them from vaccine preventable diseases. … Unfortunately, far too many children in Africa still miss out on essential immunization services. … To galvanize action, the World Health Organization’s offices for Africa and the Eastern Mediterranean, in conjunction with the African Union and other partners, are hosting the first-ever Ministerial Conference on Immunization in Africa, in Addis Ababa from February 24-25, 2016. … The benefits of immunization for Africa have never been clearer, and universal access to immunization is an achievable goal. We look forward to convening leaders from across sectors and countries … to take bold action to ensure that every African child receives the vaccines he or she needs to live a healthy and productive life…” (2/19).