Amidst looming funding cuts coming from the US federal government to international vaccine programs, as well as misinformation, population growth, and humanitarian crises, the World Health Organization (WHO), UNICEF, and Gavi have publicly stated these factors could lead to millions of children, adolescents, and adults being at an increased risk for vaccine-preventable diseases.1
A recent WHO rapid stock take with 108 country offices of WHO—mostly in low- and lower-middle-income countries—shows that nearly half of those countries are facing moderate to severe disruptions to vaccination campaigns, routine immunization and access to supplies due to reduced donor funding. Disease surveillance, including for vaccine-preventable diseases, is also impacted in more than half of the countries surveyed.1
In March, the US State Department detailed its planned cuts to foreign aid, and as part of that, it decided to cancel its over $1 billion grant to Gavi.2 The organization is a public-private partnership that helps vaccinate more than half the world’s children against some of the deadliest diseases. Gavi brings together developing country and donor governments, the World Health Organization, UNICEF, the World Bank, the vaccine industry, technical agencies, civil society, the Gates Foundation, and other private sector partners.2
“Vaccines have saved more than 150 million lives over the past five decades,” WHO Director-General, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, PhD, said in a statement. “Funding cuts to global health have put these hard-won gains in jeopardy. Outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases are increasing around the world, putting lives at risk and exposing countries to increased costs in treating diseases and responding to outbreaks. Countries with limited resources must invest in the highest-impact interventions – and that includes vaccines.”1
