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The founder of Microsoft Bill Gates and his wife Melinda have said they will donate $10bn over the next 10 years to develop and deliver new vaccines. Mr Gates, speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, said the aim was to see 90% of children in developing countries immunized.

Over the past 10 years, the couple’s charity has committed $4.5bn to the development of vaccines. This commitment has been called by the WHO (World Health Organization) as “unprecedented”.

“The increasing immunization coverage in poorer countries to 90% it should be possible to save the lives of 7.6 million children under five between 2010 and 2019. We must make this the decade of vaccines. Vaccines already save and improve millions of lives in developing countries. Innovation will make it possible to save more children than ever before. Money was needed to make the most of new vaccines now becoming available, including ones against severe diarrhea and pneumonia,” Mr. Gates said in a statement.

Melinda Gates added: “Vaccines are a miracle. With just a few doses, they can prevent deadly diseases for a lifetime. We’ve made vaccines our number one priority at the Gates Foundation because we have seen firsthand their incredible impact on children’s lives.”

“This was really an unprecedented contribution and urged governments and private donors to add to the initiative. An additional two million deaths in children under 5 years could be prevented by 2015 through widespread use of new vaccines and a 10% increase in global vaccination coverage,”  Margaret Chan, head of the World Health Organization said.