Antivirus: You're Doing It Right

Bill Gates hates viruses.  Now he's making an effort to stamp out the preventable ones that are killing millions of people around the world.

LONDON - Britain and billionaire Bill Gates pledged $2.3 billion at an international donor conference on Monday to fund vaccination programs to protect children in poor countries against diseases like diarrhoea and pneumonia.

Norwegian Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg said his country would double its annual contribution to $180 million by 2015 to help fund an international campaign to combat common diseases that kill millions of children in the developing world.

More donors, including the United States, France, Germany, Japan and others, are expected to add their pledges later on Monday in an effort to stump up an extra $3.7 billion that GAVI needs to fund its programs though to 2015.

“Britain will play its full part. In addition to our existing support for GAVI, we will provide 814 million pounds ($1.33 billion) of new funding up to 2015,” British Prime Minister David Cameron told the conference, winning a standing ovation from the audience. “This will help vaccinate over 80 million children and save 1.4 million lives.”

The World Health Organization claims vaccinating is the most cost effective and productive ways to prevent disease.  This is investing wealth in a way that it directly saves lives.  I'm no fan of Microsoft, but I have to say that Gates has demonstrated a great amount of global conscience and put his money where his mouth is.   "When you make a promise to the poorest people in the world — you should keep it,” Cameron told the conference.  Good for them.  And good for millions who stand to benefit from this act of generosity.  That hurt to say.