GAVI posted documentation associated with its Board meeting held 12-13 June 2012 in Washington DC: http://www.gavialliance.org/about/governance/gavi-board/minutes/2012/12-june/

Editor’s Note: The GAVI Board meting covered a range of topics as detailed in the posted agenda document. WE extract language about a specific decision on measles below:

Decision 7: Options for enhancing GAVI’s investment in measles prevention
The GAVI Alliance Board:
– Approved, on an exceptional basis, the Secretariat to put in place the necessary arrangements in accordance with Annex 2, Option 2 of Doc 12, for six large countries at high risk of measles outbreaks (Afghanistan, Chad, DR Congo, Ethiopia, Nigeria, and Pakistan) to be able to receive GAVI support for measles vaccines and operational costs until these countries are forecasted to have implemented a measles-rubella (MR) campaign, or by no later than 2017. This support would be provided in collaboration with the Measles & Rubella Initiative (MR Initiative, formerly the Measles Initiative).

– Approved US$ 55 million to be made available to the MR Initiative through the UN Foundation for use through 2017 for outbreaks and other emerging needs requiring rapid responses, using the mechanism described in Annex 2, Option 1 of Doc 12.

– Requested the Secretariat – given the importance of measles as an indication of country support for routine immunisation – to develop an indicator for measles first dose routine vaccine coverage as part of the achievement of GAVI’s 2011-2015 Strategy for review by the Evaluation Advisory Committee.