Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates speaks during an interview at the
Australian High Commission in London Photo: REUTERS
Polio could be wiped out completely within as little as two years, Bill Gates has claimed as he urged world leaders to help protect thousands of children from the debilitating disease.
Mr Gates held an open phone call with the British public yesterday to discuss the importance of pledging more money for vaccines.
He said: "This is my life's work."
Mr Gates and Prime Minister David Cameron are to lead the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation (Gavi) conference, which will see political leaders discuss how to generate sufficient funds to ensure children in the world's poorest countries receive the vaccines they need.
Gavi is facing a shortfall of £2.3 billion for its work over the next five years, charities have warned.
In the phone call, hosted by broadcaster and Save the Children ambassador Natasha Kaplinksy, Mr Gates said a malaria vaccine could be just a few years away, while polio could follow smallpox in being eradicated thanks to the success of its vaccine.
He said the conference "would create incredible momentum, I know that the whole image of aid can be saved if people know it's about saving lives."
Vaccines were "magic", he said.
"They are very inexpensive, they can protect you for your entire life, so diseases like smallpox that used to kill millions are completely gone because of the vaccine. It's the greatest thing that ever happened in human health. We need to get them out to people and invent some more."
A malaria vaccine is a few years away, he said. A trial was taking place of one. "We have a very good chance that by 2015 that trial will have a successful completion, then we will have to raise even more money to make sure all the kids get it."
It was also important to work on an Aids vaccine, and one for tuberculosis was also needed.
Mr Gates said the success of the conference would be measured by how many children's lives were saved.
"The simplest measure is avoiding children dying. Just under nine million died last year, but the number would be reduced a lot by getting these new vaccines out, to get the coverage.
"It's millions of lives at stake, four million would be saved by 2015 if pledges come out successfully."
Asked about people's suspicions over whether money pledged went where it should, Mr Gates said: "You can follow it by buying the vaccine, going into the country, going into the village, and see if the coverage is achieved.
"Vaccines have moved up the priority list - with care, you can keep the corruption to a very low level."
One great vaccine story was polio, "which in two to four years could become the second disease after smallpox that we've eradicated", he said.
The UK had been taking a lead on the issue of funding distribution of vaccines, and Norway had always been a generous giver, as had Sweden and Australia, he said.
Justin Forsyth, Save the Children chief executive, said in the same phone call: "We are looking for a little bit more from France and Germany, and leadership from the EU, to pledge money, while we're not sure what the US will pledge. It looks like it's lining up."
Britons had been asked to submit questions for Mr Gates on why so many of the poorest children still die because they cannot get the life-saving vaccines taken for granted in rich countries - and what needs to be done to save their lives.
Gavi's global immunisation programme includes the roll out of new vaccines against two of the biggest child killers, pneumonia and diarrhoea.
Save the Children's new report, Vaccines for All, reveals that there are still around 24 million children - the world's poorest, and those most vulnerable to disease - that have no access to vaccines.
This could be changed if Gavi gets the resources it needs, it says
