Immunization is among the safest, impactful, and cost-effective health interventions available. Immunization programs save two million lives per year, and because of vaccines, smallpox has been eradicated. Every dollar low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) invest to expand access to vaccines returns $16. Further, the return increases to $44 once broader economic benefits are taken into account.
On the other hand, funding immunization in LMICs can be a significant challenge. Although immunization coverage in the poorest countries has improved significantly, many children still do not receive the most basic vaccines. Governments face difficult decisions when determining where and how to spend limited funding because of competing priorities (e.g., investments in other health interventions, infrastructure development, and education).
Results for Development (R4D) developed this resource guide, Immunization Financing: A Resource Guide for Advocates, Policymakers, and Program Managers, as an open-access tool to assist advocates and decision-makers in evaluating the pros and cons of potential financing sources. The guide offers 26 briefs, including eight country case studies detailing different financing approaches that nations have adopted. It is intended to help users understand and plan for immunization costs, assess which vaccines to adopt, learn how to build broad political support for immunization programs, and determine how to make limited funds work more effectively.
The guide was produced based on research funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
Any organization or individual working in the field of immunization economics can submit findings, opportunities, calls to action, or other relevant work below to be shared with our community.