Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Statement on the Launch of New Meningitis Group A Vaccine

OUAGADOUGOU, Burkina Faso, December 6, 2010 - Tachi Yamada, president of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation's Global
Health Program, issued the following statement to mark the launch of
MenAfriVac-a new vaccine against Meningitis Group A-in Burkina Faso:

"MenAfriVac is a tremendous success story for the global health
community. It is the first vaccine developed specifically for Africa, and it
proves that global partnerships can develop and deliver high-quality,
low-cost vaccines.

Ten years ago, we invested in the Meningitis Vaccine Project, an
innovative model that brought together PATH, the World Health Organization,
African health ministers and the Serum Institute of India. Today, we
celebrate the result: a modern vaccine selling for less than US 50 cents per
dose with the potential to end Africa's deadly meningitis epidemics.

We believe that vaccines are one of the best buys in global health. In
January, Bill and Melinda Gates called on the global community to make this
the Decade of Vaccines. There is no better way to launch this decade than
with a new vaccine that will improve and save lives."

Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Guided by the belief that every life has equal value, the Bill & Melinda
Gates Foundation works to help all people lead healthy, productive lives. In
developing countries, it focuses on improving people's health and giving them
the chance to lift themselves out of hunger and extreme poverty. In the
United States, it seeks to ensure that all people-especially those with the
fewest resources-have access to the opportunities they need to succeed in
school and life. Based in Seattle, Washington, the foundation is led by CEO
Jeff Raikes and Co-chair William H. Gates Sr., under the direction of Bill
and Melinda Gates and Warren Buffett. Learn more at
www.gatesfoundation.org.

Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, +1-206-709-3400, media at gatesfoundation.org