Africa must invest in child vaccines

They are inexpensive, easy to deliver, and proven to prevent disease and give children a healthy start to life.

Today, I am more optimistic than ever about the future impact of vaccines. With the commitment of government leaders in Africa and around the world, we can save four million lives by 2015 and 10 million lives by 2020. I believe that the next 10 years will live up to the name "Decade of Vaccines" if we accomplish three things. First, early in the decade, I envision that polio will be eradicated. While this crippling disease has been eliminated in 99 percent of the world and tamed in Africa, there is no room for complacency. The DRC and Chad have seen worrying polio flare-ups and, as of May 10 this year, the two countries account for 65 percent of the world's new polio cases.