Pentavalent vaccine protects against five major diseases: diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis (whooping cough), hepatitis B and Haemophilus influenzae type b (DTP-hepB-Hib). In 
Pentavalent vaccine protects against five major diseases: diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis (whooping cough), hepatitis B and Haemophilus influenzae type b (DTP-hepB-Hib). In 2001, Gavi started supporting pentavalent vaccine to boost the low uptake of hepB and Hib vaccines in low-income countries by making them part of routine immunisation programmes.
In 2000, fewer than 10% of low-income countries had introduced hepB vaccine. Less than 5% had launched the Hib vaccine as part of their immunisation programmes. Today, all the world's poorest countries offer the two vaccines as part of the pentavalent vaccine.
Pentavalent vaccine coverage in Gavi-supported countries increased from 1% in 2000 to 81% in 2018. By the end of the year, more than 467 million children had been immunised with Gavi-funded pentavalent vaccines.
In 2001, Kenya was the first to launch the pentavalent vaccine with Gavi support. In the same year, the very first hepB-containing tetravalent vaccines (DTP-hepB) funded by Gavi were administered to over one million infants in Mozambique. Thanks to Gavi support for new and underused vaccines, man