GAVI Alliance to fund roll-out of vaccines against cervical cancer, rubella in developing countries

The GAVI Alliance "has agreed to fund the roll-out of vaccines against cervical cancer in developing countries, offering protection against a disease that kills one woman every two minutes," Reuters reports (Hirschler, 11/17). The group is continuing negotiations with pharmaceutical companies to lower the price of the vaccine, NPR's health blog "Shots" notes. "By 2015, GAVI expects that two million girls in nine countries will have received the HPV vaccine," but the shot will not be given to boys unless the WHO recommends they also receive the immunization, according to the blog (Husted, 11/17).

"GAVI also said it would consider investing in hundreds of millions of shots against the rubella virus, or German measles, which can be dangerous for pregnant women and children," the Associated Press/Washington Post writes (11/17). "Nine countries are candidates for the vaccine, although their names are being withheld at this stage, said a spokesman for GAVI, reached by phone from Paris," Agence France-Presse notes (11/17). "'These two initiatives have huge potential impact for women and families in the developing world,' said Seth Berkley, CEO of GAVI, which supports seven other vaccines," a GAVI press release states (11/17).