The United States is reportedly preparing to halt funding for Gavi, the global vaccine alliance a decision that could result in more than a million preventable deaths, according to the organisation’s Chief Executive, Dr Sania Nishtar.
The proposed cut was outlined in a 281-page spreadsheet from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), which was sent to Congress earlier this week, as first reported by The New York Times.
The document lists 5,341 grants slated for termination, including funding for key humanitarian organisations such as UNICEF, the International Red Cross, Save the Children, Doctors of the World, and Action Against Hunger. Gavi, which provides vaccines for more than half of the world’s children, was also named, though Dr Nishtar clarified that no official termination notice had been received.
“We have not received a termination notice from the US government and are engaging with the White House and Congress with a view to securing the $300 million approved by Congress for our 2025 activities and longer-term funding for Gavi,” she told AFP.
Dr Nishtar warned that cutting US funding could have catastrophic consequences, increasing the risk of disease outbreaks and endangering vulnerable populations worldwide.
A Global Health Security Crisis
Founded in 2000 by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the World Health Organization (WHO), UNICEF, and the World Bank, Gavi has played a vital role in global immunisation efforts. It supports vaccines against 20 diseases, including measles, polio, Ebola, malaria, and cholera.
Since its inception, the Geneva-based organisation has helped immunise over a billion children across 78 low-income countries, preventing nearly 19 million deaths.
Dr David Elliman, a paediatric health expert at University College London, denounced the funding cut as “cruel and utterly misguided.”
“If diseases such as measles and tuberculosis increase anywhere in the world, it is a hazard to us all,” he cautioned, underscoring the broader risk of global outbreaks.
Gavi also warned that eliminating US funding would weaken global health security, noting that maintaining vaccine stockpiles for diseases like Ebola, yellow fever, and mpox not only saves lives abroad but also helps protect Americans.
“These diseases do not respect borders; they can cross continents in hours and cost billions of dollars,” the organisation stated.
Critics Slam ‘Political Decision to Ignore Science’
The potential funding withdrawal has drawn sharp criticism from public health experts and advocacy groups, who accuse the US administration of turning its back on bipartisan support for global immunisation efforts.
Liza Barrie, who leads the Global Vaccine Access Programme at Public Citizen, condemned the move as “a political decision to let preventable diseases spread, ignore science, and dismantle the infrastructure that protects us all.”
She warned that the administration was reneging on a $2.6 billion pledge, jeopardising routine vaccinations for 75 million children over the next five years.
Barrie also questioned the legality of the move, arguing that Congress, not the administration, controls foreign aid funding.
“The administration’s attempt to unilaterally walk away from its Gavi commitment raises serious legal questions and should be challenged. Lawmakers must stand up for the rule of law, and for the belief that the value of a child’s life is not determined by geography,” she asserted.