After the call for more funding for life-saving vaccines by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, Australia has stepped forward by announcing giving double the monetary support for the program that aims at saving the life of a number of children in developing countries by providing them life-saving vaccines.

The Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation (GAVI) will be supported by Australia with an amount of $60 million over three years, as declared by Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd. The alliance targets curbing two severest of the problems - pneumonia and diarrhea, which take life of several children every year.

He further added that GAVI is a novel approach to cover maximum number of children under the vaccination program for diseases that are fatal for them. Also, GAVI has increased the survival rate of children in developing countries to adulthood by making immunization accessible to them.

"Pneumococcal disease, including pneumonia, takes a devastating toll in developing countries. Recent UN estimates show that some eight million children died before their fifth birthday in 2009, with pneumonia accounting for nearly one fifth of these deaths", said Mr. Rudd.

The helping hand lent by Australia will prove helpful in saving a number of lives.