Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Vaccines work. They: 📉Reduce infant mortality 🛑Stop disease outbreaks 🦠#EndPolio for good 🏠Build healthier communities 🌎Create a more equitable world  Immunization for all is #HumanlyPossible.

Time for a #WorldImmunizationWeek Quiz!

Child deaths have decreased by more than half since 1990. Vaccines have played a critical role in this success. 💉 Hear from Bill Gates as he explains. #WorldImmunizationWeek

Every year, leaders from around the world gather at The World Bank and International Monetary Fund Spring Meetings in D.C. to align on efforts to reduce poverty and accelerate economic growth. And every year, I keep a close eye on how those efforts will benefit women—who are so often left behind when big policy decisions get made. Here are a few outtakes from last week’s meetings, where I spoke about solutions that can help women entrepreneurs access the capital they need to pursue the opportunities they want. https://m-gat.es/44cpakA

This #WorldMalariaDay, we’re highlighting 3 innovations that will help us fight this deadly, but preventable, disease: 1️⃣Improved bed-nets 2️⃣Monoclonal antibodies 3️⃣Attractive targeted sugar baits Thanks to innovations like these, we’re moving closer to a malaria-free world.

From the lab to the boardroom, these champions are leading the charge against malaria. We're celebrating #WorldMalariaDay by honoring these impressive women whose work at the intersection of malaria & gender is saving lives & bringing us closer to a more equitable and malaria-free world. ⭐️ Dr. Deborah Atobrah's work integrates gender into malaria policies, to make progress on both fronts. What’s the double dividend hypothesis in malaria work? It means applying a gender lens to malaria elimination efforts, to improve outcomes for both. ⭐️ Dr. Ify Aniebo knows that fighting malaria is about more than developing and deploying essential tools like bed nets—which is why she is also thinking about better housing and sanitation, because investing in communities is critical for our health and wellbeing. ⭐️ Dr. Rose Jalang'o leads a dedicated team working to bring essential malaria resources to endemic regions of Kenya. After seeing the impact of malaria on women in her community, Dr. Jalang'o is excited that Kenyan women continue to be at the forefront of the fight against malaria. ⭐️ Dr. Damaris Matoke-Muhia is a research scientist and passionate mentor of women and girls in science. She is proud that the women she mentors go on to become leading scientists and hopes that more women can gain leadership positions in scientific fields. This year’s WHO World Malaria Day theme is Gender, Health Equity and Human Rights: Accelerating the fight against malaria for a more equitable world—and these champions are doing just that. Who are your malaria champions? Use #SheFightsMalaria to share their stories ⬇️

I had an incredible day in the Sidama region of Ethiopia, learning about high-impact health work from immunization to family planning – and the amazing people, who work day in and day out to ensure no one falls through the cracks.  The stunning health progress Ethiopia saw in the first two decades of the 21st century is due in large part to the country’s investment in its health workforce and in women’s health – and in the powerful Health Extension Program, led by dedicated Health Extension Workers. At Wochabo Basic Health Post, they told me about the work they do to keep their community healthy.   Then, I heard from Village Health Leaders, volunteers who work to ensure everyone knows about the healthcare available to them. One told me that he does this work to “be a bridge” between his community and the health post by going door to door and ensuring families know about immunizations, prenatal, and antenatal care. I also got the chance to visit the home of Tewabach, a local mother who brings her children to the health post and encourages other women in her community to do the same. The Ethiopia health extension program gives Tewabach’s family increased access to primary healthcare & outreach services from community health workers -- ultimately helping her three children grow up healthy and realize their aspirations.   I ended the day at Bensa Ware Comprehensive Health Post, where I saw how upgrades to the existing system are expanding access to healthcare to more community members. I sat down with a group of pregnant women who meet as a group over the course of their pregnancies to learn about how to prepare for birth, from health to nutrition.  I’m energized by what I saw, and grateful to our partners for an amazing day. I’ll be taking lessons I learned and the memory of the warm welcome I received with me – into the rest of my trip, and long after.  

This #WorldImmunizationWeek we’re celebrating a remarkable milestone. New data from World Health Organization and The Lancet shows that vaccines have saved an estimated 154M lives over the last 50 years, thanks to the dedicated efforts of countries, partners, and health workers to deliver them worldwide. This remarkable achievement shows what’s possible when we as a global community work together to make vaccines accessible for everyone. By intensifying efforts to reach more people with vaccines, we can create healthier futures for all. A world free of measles? Cervical cancer? Polio? That's our vision, and we believe it’s #HumanlyPossible. https://gates.ly/49S0xuV

“There are literally millions of female entrepreneurs across the continent of Africa, and [if] we move capital...these women will actually grow not just their business, but their entire economy.” Closing gender gaps in pay, entrepreneurship, and access to capital could boost the global economy by $7 trillion. Melinda French Gates joined PBS NewsHour to talk about the systemic barriers facing women in the global economy and how to start dismantling them: https://to.pbs.org/3wdxCn5

“The trick to fighting malaria is innovating to keep ahead of the disease and the mosquitoes that transmit it.” - Philip Welkhoff, director of our Malaria program Bed nets are a critical tool to protect people from malaria, but malaria-transmitting mosquitoes have become resistant to insecticides used in their production, making them less effective. But there is a potential game-changer: the G2 interceptor nets, a new dual-insecticide bed net. Over three years, nets like these prevented 13 million cases of malaria. https://gates.ly/4b5u0lT