Doctors Without Borders

Easier-to-Use Vaccines Are Needed for Hard-to-Reach Children

“Unless vaccines are simplified so that they’re better adapted to real-life conditions, we will never get on top of these killer diseases and will always need to respond to outbreaks that we haven’t managed to prevent through effective immunization programs.”—Florence Fermon, MSF Vaccines Adviser

Immunization is one of the most effective ways of saving young lives, yet every year one in five children born—22 million—is left without this basic protection from disease. Why?

It’s because existing vaccines are hard to use in the places where many of these children live. The problem with the vaccines currently available—both basic and newer vaccines—is that they have been developed for use in wealthy countries, with strong health systems, good transport and other functioning infrastructure. In trying to use these vaccines in countries which don’t have the advantages of good roads, reliable power supplies, and adequate numbers of trained staff, it becomes clear why so many children in developing countries fall through the immunization net.