Seth Berkley
Seth Berkley
Seth Franklin Berkley, M.D.is a medical epidemiologist by training. He is the CEO of the GAVI Alliance and a global advocate on the power of vaccines. He is also the founder and former President and CEO of the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative. After graduation from McBurney School, New York, in 1974, he received a Bachelor of Science and medical degrees from Brown University, and trained in internal medicine at Harvard University. Berkley has been featured on the cover of Newsweek...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionScientist
CountryUnited States of America
Seth Berkley quotes about
Developing an Aids vaccine for the regions of the world in greatest need will take many more innovative partnerships like this one given the difficult scientific challenges we face,
History will not judge HIV/AIDS kindly... the harshest words will be reserved for how the world responded, or rather failed to respond, to the epidemic.
Massive numbers of vaccines would be needed and companies are concerned, 'who's going to pay for that,'
We should have an effective vaccine in five to seven years.
The return on investment in global health is tremendous, and the biggest bang for the buck comes from vaccines. Vaccines are among the most successful and cost-effective health investments in history.
We've actually eliminated Type II polio in the world, at least as far as we can tell.
When it comes to providing aid, developing innovations, and making bold steps that change the course of history, the United States is usually on the front lines.
The best vaccine imaginable is only valuable to the extent we get it to everyone who needs it.
As variable as flu is, HIV makes flu look like the Rock of Gibraltar. The virus that causes AIDS is the trickiest pathogen scientists have ever confronted.
Leadership is about vision and responsibility, not power.
Science is one of the comparative advantages of our knowledge-based economy, and focusing on our prowess in providing better tools to address diseases of poverty is one of the best forms of foreign aid.
Measles is probably the best argument for why there needs to be global health, and why we have to think about it as a global public good. Because in a sense, measles is the canary in the coal mine for immunization. It is, you know, highly transmissible. The vaccine costs 15 cents, so it's not - you know, shouldn't be an issue in terms of cost.
You'd see little shallow graves, lined up, one after the other - babies. That's what happens when measles goes through a nutritionally deficient community. It's a horrible disease, and it spreads incredibly efficiently.
I wish we could have state-of-the-art hospitals in every corner of the earth... but realistically, it's going to be a while before that can happen. But we can immunise every kid on earth, and we can prevent these diseases. It's only a matter of political will, a little bit of money and some systems to do it.