Improving immunization rates and ensuring the world's children have access to all available vaccines will be essential to achieve the child mortality target included in the Millennium Development Goals - 2/3 reduction of under-5 mortality by 2015. Progress toward this goal will be measured by indicators including 1) the under-five mortality rate, 2) the infant mortality rate and 3) the proportion of one-year-old children immunized against measles.
The positive impact of immunization goes beyond child survival. Strengthening immunization programs helps to build up entire health care delivery systems. A health care delivery system that is able to reach all of a country's children is a stronger system and one that is better able to meet other health challenges. Well designed initiatives can play a particularly effective role assisting countries make rapid improvements by raising the political awareness of the importance of health improvements, by enhancing partner coordination, and by increasing funding.
