Consider Newcastle Disease (ND) – a major global poultry disease, outbreaks of which in Africa and Asia frequently kill 80% of chickens. A dose of ND vaccine administered by a trained vaccinator in a rural African and Asian location typically costs just 1p (2 US cents). That will protect a bird that produces eggs, producing more chickens and, in this way, makes a very substantial contribution to rural household nutrition and income levels. In the case of East Coast Fever, a single shot of the Muguga Cocktail ITM vaccine will protect a cow for the its entire life, thus protecting the investments of many livestock keepers. This is the inherent value of vaccines.

But for this value to be realised, we need an effective vaccine in the first place and a viable market. GALVmed uses donor funding, to harness top research and development expertise to develop vaccines for the major neglected livestock diseases of the developing world. We then work with manufacturers and distributors to establish viable vaccine markets. This makes for a simple and sustainable intervention where the greatest asset of the small-scale livestock producers – their livestock – is affordably protected by one of the greatest marvels of science: the vaccine.