On Friday, 6 April 2001 in Mozambique, the very first vaccines provided by GAVI and the Vaccine Fund were administered to children in Boane, a town just south of the capital, Maputo. Attending the first delivery were Co-Chair and CEO of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation William Gates, Sr., Mozambican Minister of Health Dr Francisco Songane and UNICEF Executive Director Carol Bellamy. With an estimated value of US $1.5 million, the total vaccine delivery for 2001 consists of 1.3 million doses of DPT-hepB (a combination vaccine against diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus and hepatitis B). The vaccine is first being provided to infants as part of a pilot programme in the district of Boane, in preparation of the national rollout of the new vaccine in July of this year. The Government is also receiving auto-disable syringes and safety boxes for their disposal, as well as funding to strengthen immunization services.

Mozambique was the first country to receive vaccines from GAVI and the Vaccine Fund; 15 more countries that have been approved for new and under-used vaccines will be receiving their vaccine deliveries over the coming months.