Copyright 2000 Federal News Service, Inc.
Federal News Service
February 24, 2000, Thursday
SECTION: PREPARED TESTIMONY
LENGTH: 305 words
HEADLINE:
PREPARED STATEMENT FROM THE BILL & MELINDA GATES FOUNDATION ON SENATOR JOHN
KERRY'S (D-MA) VACCINES FOR THE NEW MILLENNIUM ACT
BEFORE THE
SENATE COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN RELATIONS SUBCOMMITTEE ON AFRICAN
AFFAIRS
BODY:
The Bill & Melinda Gates
Foundation today announced its support for Senator John Kerry's (D-MA) and the
Clinton's administration's work to develop and distribute life saving vaccines.
Senator Kerry today introduced the Vaccines for New Millennium Act, a proposal
which would authorize U.S. government expenditures to organizations including
the Global Alliance for Vaccines and immunizations (GAVI) and
the International AIDS Vaccines Initiative (IAVI). These
organizations are also grantees of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. In
November 1999, the Foundation announced a $750 million grant to
the GAVI to help ensure that children in developing countries are immunized
against major killer diseases in the new millennium. The Foundation also gave
more than $25 million to IAVI in an effort to develop a vaccine
that would immunize against the AIDS virus.
The Bill
& Melinda Gates Foundation supports efforts to spur research and development
into vaccines to fight the spread of diseases such as AIDS,
tuberculosis and malaria. We are pleased to see the comprehensive plan being
introduced today by Senator John Kerry at the Africa Subcommittee of the Senate
Foreign Relations Committee.
The Foundation supports the plan's goal of
establishing as a major objective of U.S. foreign policy the universal
vaccination and immunization of all children from preventable diseases within 10
years.
Access to vaccines can save the lives of as many as three million
children every year. The Foundation has been pleased to support GAVI, which
works with the pharmaceutical industry, international governments arid others to
improve distribution and stimulate the development of vaccines and IAVI, an
international non-profit organization working to speed the development and
distribution of an AIDS vaccine,
END
LOAD-DATE: February 25, 2000
