This coalition of global leaders in immunization was formed in response to stagnating global immunization rates and a widening gap in vaccine access among children in developing countries. The Alliance, which includes industry partners (including the International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and Associations (IFPMA), Sanofi Pasteur, Berna Biotech, Chiron, GlaxoSmithKline, Merck & Co., Inc. and Wyeth), industrialized and developing country governments, UNICEF, WHO, the World Bank, foundations and NGOs, provides a mechanism for partners to collaborate more closely, agree upon common goals and strategies, and share a commitment to do more for immunization and do it better.

A major outcome of the collaboration is the development of the Vaccine Fund, which provides financial support directly to low-income countries based upon applications to and recommendation of the GAVI Board.

In support of the Pan American Health Organization's goal of eradicating measles in the Western Hemisphere, Merck & Co., Inc. has provided 1 million doses of MMR II (its mumps, measles, rubella vaccine) over a three-year period to Honduras. The company also is donating 5 million doses of its hepatitis B vaccine in support of GAVI.

Another example is Chiron Vaccines, which has contributed $90.000 for disease burden study and surveillance. Wyeth is another primary corporate participant in GAVI. Wyeth is donating 10 million doses of the Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) conjugate vaccine to immunize 3.3 million children. According to GAVI, seven countries now provide protection against Hib, one of the leading causes of infant mortality.

EPIVAC

EPIVAC is a comprehensive, one-year, on-the-job professional training program in epidemiology, applied computing, vaccinology, and management of health programs for medical doctors in West Africa, culminating in an inter-university diploma in 'Organization and Management of Public Immunization Programs in Developing Countries' awarded by the universities of Cocody-Abidjan (Ivory Coast) and Paris-Dauphine (France). The program is a Sanofi Pasteur contribution to the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (GAVI). Implemented by the Association pour l'Aide à la Médecine Préventive (AMP), the program was developed in partnership with national governments of eligible countries and the participating universities, in collaboration with the WHO, UNICEF, the Vaccine Fund, and other partners working in Africa. EPIVAC is coordinated with the GAVI sub-regional working group and complements other GAVI support to African countries. EPIVAC seeks to strengthen the GAVI process within each country in coordination with the Interagency Coordinating Committee (ICC). The ICC assists in the selection of EPIVAC enrollees. EPIVAC not only utilizes classroom, on-the-job training, and distance learning, but also combines two subject matters that are usually taught separately: applied vaccinology and management sciences. Participants are trained while continuing to provide vital public health services to their communities. Studying on-the-job also enables learning to be put into practice immediately. The EPIVAC program monitors and evaluates the impact of the training on immunization delivery and management in the district. By mid-November 2004 approximately 100 doctors have completed the EPIVAC training. Another 50 have been enrolled in EPIVAC's 3rd consecutive year of operation.