UNICEF, the world's largest buyer of vaccines, provides immunization for forty percent of the world's children. Since 1980, UNICEF has helped quadruple immunization rates for children worldwide. Today, infant and childhood vaccination saves up to 3 million children's lives a year.
Immunization is one of the most cost-effective public health investments. In 2011, UNICEF began publishing the price it paid for every vaccine it buys, helping drive down prices. UNICEF's tremendous reach gives it a unique ability to negotiate with manufacturers for the lowest possible prices.
Conflict, displacement and poverty keep some of the most vulnerable children from getting the vaccines they need. Today, 1.5 million children die every year because they were not vaccinated. If all children were immunized with existing vaccines, by 2020 we would save nearly 25 million lives.
