Skip to main content

Written question asked by Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour) on Thursday, 19 October 2023, in the House of Lords. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 2 November 2023. It was answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon (Conservative) on Thursday, 26 October 2023 on behalf of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.


Development Aid: Health Services

Question

To ask His Majesty's Government whether, following the recent recommendation by the World Health Organization on the R21 malaria vaccine, they intend to provide sufficient funding to (1) Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, (2) the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, and (3) Unitaid, over their next funding cycles to ensure that vaccines and other life-saving tools can be delivered at scale.

Answer

The UK welcomed the World Health Organisation (WHO) recommendation on 2 October 2023 of the R21/Matrix-M malaria vaccine for the prevention of malaria in children. We supported the decision by the Gavi board in December 2021 to launch a malaria vaccine programme, including with support through the UK's contribution to Gavi, and look forward to Gavi supporting the future rollout of R21 once Pre-Qualified by WHO. The UK's £1.65 billion funding from 2021 to 2025 to Gavi will immunise 75 million children and save up to 2 million lives from vaccine preventable diseases, including malaria. Our £1 billion pledge to the 7th replenishment of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria will help to distribute 86 million mosquito nets and provide malaria treatment and care for 18 million people. UK support to Unitaid will help countries to optimise the introduction of new malaria prevention tools and help to ensure that malaria medicines and tools are affordable and accessible for all.


Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
HL10697
Session
2022-23
Grouped for answer
Yes
Subjects
Development aid Health services Finance Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria Unitaid Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk