Bill Gates Pledges $10 Billion in Vaccine Funding
Bill Gates Pledges $10 Billion in Vaccine Funding
Posted 01/29/2010 at 9:20am
| by Paul Lilly
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By now, Bill Gates' philanthropy efforts are well known, but the billionaire co-founder of Microsoft may have still managed to surprise a few people by promising to donate $10 billion (through the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation) over the next decade to fund new vaccines to fight diseases in poor countries around the globe.
"We must make this the decade of vaccines," Bill Gates said at the press conference to announce the donation. "Vaccines already save and improve millions of lives in developing countries. Innovation will make it possible to save more children than ever before."
The $10 billion pledge comes in addition to $4.5 billion the foundation has already tossed towards the research, development, and launching of vaccines, CNet reports. With the $10 billion in additional funding, Gates believes there's a good shot at turning around the childhood mortality rate by the end of the decade.
"We've made vaccines our No. 1 priority at the Gates Foundation because we've seen first hand their incredible impact on children's lives," Melinda Gates added.
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Heidi Lavern
November 17, 2010 at 8:24am
What Bill Gates did is amazing. There aren't so many rich men that are eager to toss their money away for others, the word "altruism" seems to have vanished from opulent peoples' dictionaries. I hope others will follow his example, as well, because money are useless, if they are too much, in the end.
imp2010
September 22, 2010 at 4:31am
The kind of impact they delivered to vaccinate all the children around the world is huge. So far The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation have given away $18 billion which has helped deliver vaccines to more than 250 million children in poor countries, preventing an estimated five million deaths. car donation
gendoikari1
January 30, 2010 at 6:45pm
If Bill Gates's funding manages to find the cure for cancer, I think pancreatic cancer would be at the bottom of his list for obvious reasons...
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Morete
January 29, 2010 at 10:45pm
I'm glad that the money I spent on MS operating system software and MS PC peripherals are going to a good cause to the disenfranchised people in third world countries. I would feel horribly guilty if I were to find out that the money myself and other people from westernized countries spent on MS products were to be appropriated towards opening up free-of-charge customer support call centers in the US, Canada, Australia or the UK, for technical support, instead of $50/hr. call centers in India with people who speak broken English. Opening up call centers in westernized countries would have the devastating effect of creating thousands of jobs for the unemployed wealthy westerners who are living below the poverty level and struggling to make ends meet financially. Thank goodness that there are still wealthy philanthropists willing to sacrifice the profits they've acquired by us unemployed, impoverished, materialistic, western consumers to rescue the desolate people in third world continents across the globe. Reinvesting a minuscule portion of Microsoft's profits back into the communities hands that fed Microsoft would be despicable to even consider. Thank you Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation for having your priorities in order.
B.A.Frayd
January 29, 2010 at 12:46pm
How "feel good" of him, or should I say Melinda.
Poverty is the problem in these countries, not lack of vaccine. How exactly is this going to help poverty? One could make the argument that this kind of feel-good charity will actually perpetuate the situation.
dc10ten
January 29, 2010 at 6:32pm
yes, vaccines so people can live past 20 or 30 in poor countries.
the other big thing he is working on is educating them, specifically with farming.
B.A.Frayd
January 31, 2010 at 3:17am
Actually, what little food or water there may be is often horded by the corrupt "leaders" of most poor countries. Giving them vaccines will only keep the people alive long enough to bare more children who will suffer though starvation.
gendoikari1
January 31, 2010 at 1:44pm
Still better than nothing (like the man from Cupertino).
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DOOMHAMMA
January 29, 2010 at 12:42pm
Preach it! I own Microsoft products. Not a lick of Apple products. Zero. I'm glad my money went to a company that had some one at the helm who can be so generous.
thepoor
January 29, 2010 at 9:53am
Apple and Steve Jobs make alot of money, too. Why don't they do the something similar to Mr. Gates. Very generous of Mr. Gates.
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