Gates Announces Huge Vaccine Pledge

Bill Gates made a big announcement at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, on Friday. The Microsoft entrepreneur-turned-philanthropist revealed that the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation will donate $10 billion over the next 10 years to the cause of fighting disease around the globe through vaccines and immunizations.  —KA

“Davos Diary” in The Washington Post:

The commitment appears to be the largest single non-governmental commitment ever given. Two of the previous biggest grants, each for $750 million, were given by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, part of $4.5 billion it had spent on vaccines.

“We’re essentially redoubling our commitment,” Bill Gates said at a press conference, calling the fresh funding commitment “a great milestone.”

He said the world “must make this the decade of vaccines.”

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Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation / Prashant Panjiar

Philanthropy in action: Bill Gates immunizes a child against polio during a visit to Nigeria.