Gates leads $1 billion effort for kids’ vaccines – Jan. 25, 2005

Oh, nevermind… he’s doing something good with his money here. Sorry, Bill!

LONDON (Reuters) – A campaign to get life-saving vaccines to millions of children in poor countries received a $1 billion cash boost from Microsoft Corp. founder Bill Gates and the government of Norway on Tuesday.

I do have a question about this article, though. We’re talking about “immunizations that are taken for granted in the industrialized world”, and then go on to discuss “saving lives for less than $1,000 per life here”. Does it really cost $1000 per person for basic immunizations?

If that’s the case, it’s not a matter of more money, it’s a matter of less greed on the part of pharmaceutical companies. Argue about the cost of research and development all you want, but these are immunizations that are mass produced and have been for decades. Does it really cost $1000 a person to drive around to third-world communities and administer these immunizations en masse? I’m dumbfounded.