Boris Johnson to urge world leaders to unite against disease in vaccine summit

via REUTERS

Boris Johnson is to tell world leaders “humanity must unite” to fight disease as he hosts the Global Vaccine Summit.

More than 50 countries including 35 heads of state will meet online to secure funding for Gavi, the vaccine alliance, on Thursday.

The summit aims to raise at least £6 billion to immunise 300 million children in world’s poorest countries by 2025.

The funding will help protect children from deadly diseases like polio, diphtheria and measles as well as global recovery from coronavirus.

It is hoped that by vaccinating children against other diseases it will help poorer countries cope with rising coronavirus cases.

The Government said health experts have warned that if the virus is left to spread in developing countries, it could lead to future waves of infection reaching the UK.

The Prime Minister will open the summit with an address to the delegates and is expected to close the event with a keynote speech, alongside Bill Gates and Gavi’s Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala.

Mr Johnson will say: “I hope this summit will be the moment when the world comes together to unite humanity in the fight against disease.

“Just as the UK is the single biggest donor to the international effort to find a coronavirus vaccine, we will remain the world’s leading donor to Gavi, contributing £1.65 billion over the next five years.

“I urge you to join us to fortify this lifesaving alliance and inaugurate a new era of global health co-operation, which I believe is now the most essential shared endeavour of our lifetimes.”

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