The Gates Foundation has pledged $1.6 billion over five years to Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, amid concerns over global vaccine funding cuts. Gavi CEO Sania Nishtar said the organization has vaccinated 1.1 billion children across 78 low-income countries, preventing an estimated 19 million deaths since 2000.
Bill Gates called the global rise in child deaths “a tragedy” and warned that foreign aid cuts could cost millions of lives. “Fully funding Gavi is the single most powerful step we can take to stop it,” he said.
The U.S. has previously provided Gavi $300 million annually, but the Trump administration may end this support. Nishtar estimated a loss of U.S. funding could lead to 1.2 million deaths in five years.
Meanwhile, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. recently overhauled the U.S. vaccine advisory board, removed COVID-19 shots from CDC recommendations, and limited booster approvals.
The Brussels-based Gavi summit on Wednesday aims to raise $9 billion for vaccine efforts through 2030.
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