The decade of vaccines global vaccine action plan: shaping immunization programmes in the current decade.

Since the establishment of the Expanded Programme on Immunization in 1974, there has been considerable progress with scaling up access to immunization globally. Currently an estimated 2 to 3 million deaths and an even greater burden of morbidity and disability are averted annually through immunization. However, an even greater impact can be achieved if the potential of vaccines is fully exploited. The Global Vaccine Action Plan (GVAP) provides a framework to make life-saving vaccines available to all individuals, regardless of who they are or where they live. The first annual progress report of the GVAP noted that while there has been progress in several areas, the world is not on track to achieve several of the key goals and milestones in the plan. Achieving the vision for the decade will require the concerted action of all stakeholders, including national governments and communities.