Johannesburg

Friday

Showery. Morning clouds. Pleasantly warm.

16°C
30°C

7 day forecasts

Mandela warns on child deaths

2002-04-12 12:56

Cape Town - African governments should give priority to saving children's lives in their own countries, former president Nelson Mandela said on Thursday night.

Speaking in Cape Town at a gala dinner of an international conference on financing vaccines, he said he was proud to serve as board chairperson of the Vaccine Fund, the financial arm of the Global Alliance, which helped fund immunisation in the world's poorest countries.

In less than two years the alliance and the fund has committed more than $800 million (R9 billion) to 53 countries to pay for newer vaccines or to help improve immunisation infrastructure.

"I would particularly urge those African ministers who are here to take the message of the Global Alliance and the fund back to your countries," he said.

"If we do not make saving children lives a priority in our own countries, it will be even more difficult to ask the industrialised world to take on that responsibility for us." Mandela's comments come after the United Nations Children's Fund warned the world was experiencing vaccine shortages serious enough to jeopardise immunisation programmes for children in both developing and industrialised countries.

Unicef, whose procurement operation fills around 40% of the global demand for children's vaccines and is the key supplier of vaccines to the world's poorest countries, said on Thursday it was seeking an "urgent global response" to prevent what could become a crisis.

"The shortages affect virtually every category of traditional vaccine given to children in poor countries," said Unicef executive director Carol Bellamy.

"Similar shortages are also occurring in the industrialised world." Bellamy said long-term financial commitments from donors could end this "perilous erosion" in global production capacity. - Sapa

- SAPA

inside news24

Cpt: 14-18°C Showers early. Morning clouds. Mild. Pta: 18-33°C Rain showers. Morning clouds. Pleasantly warm.
Jhb: 16-30°C Showery. Morning clouds. Pleasantly warm. Bloem: 14-30°C Sunny. Pleasantly warm.
Dbn: 20-28°C Scattered showers. Partly cloudy. Mild. PE: 18-23°C Showers early. Morning clouds. Mild.
7 day forecasts...
Western Cape Eastern Cape Kwazulu Natal Gauteng

Midrand - 16:09:09 PM Two stationary vehicles just before the New Road exit and another before the Allandale Road exit - heavy delays from the Buccleuch Interchange More traffic reports...

Here are the winning Lotto numbers from the Wednesday, November 11 draw.

7 15 19 22 25 26 bonus 4

11 15 23 26 29 38 bonus 48

SMS the word Lotto to 31222 to get lotto numbers sent directly to your phone. The service costs just R10 per month. 
More lotto numbers...

Jobs - Find your dream job

CFO

Angola
Hire Resolve

Treasury

Gauteng
Hire Resolve
R600,000-750,000 Per Annum

Head of Trading

Gauteng
Hire Resolve
R1000,000-1300,000 Per Annum

Cars - Search 1000's of new and used cars

AUDI

2008 A4 1.8T Multitronics from R 269 000

Property - Find a new home

MELROSE ARCH

Multiple Unit R3,300,000

SEDGEFIELD

Single Residential R3,200,000

RUIMSIG

Single Residential R2,890,000

Travel - Look, Book, Go!

Free Games - TOO MUCH NEWS? TAKE A BREAK!