Millions of children worldwide face a growing health crisis as the United States moves to slash US$880 million in funding for Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance. Without this vital support, routine immunizations in low-income countries could collapse, leaving 75 million children exposed to deadly albeit preventable diseases.
The funding cut is part of a larger reduction in U.S. foreign aid that has seen 5,341 USAID grants and contracts totaling $75.9 billion being terminated according to documents obtained by The New York Times.
What’s at stake?
Gavi depends on U.S. contributions for 13% of its budget. Without this support, the alliance warns that up to 75 million children could miss routine vaccinations in the next five years, leading to an estimated 1 million preventable deaths.
Since its establishment in 2000, Gavi has helped to immunize more than 1.1 billion children and prevented 19 million deaths across 78 countries. In 2023 alone, the alliance helped to vaccinate 69 million children, saving 1.3 million lives.
In 2020-2023, the US pledged $1.16 billion, but future commitments remain uncertain. The funding cuts could impact the $1.58 billion pledge announced for 2026–2030 which is part of a broader $2.6 billion commitment.
Despite the uncertainty, Gavi commented that it had not been officially notified by the U.S. government. CEO Dr. Sania Nishtar told AP News that discussions with the White House and Congress are ongoing to secure the $300 million allocated for 2025 and to protect future funding.
Gavi’s co-financing approach encourages recipient countries to gradually take on more financial responsibility while receiving technical and funding support. However, a sudden withdrawal of US funding could destabilize this system, making it hard for less well-off countries to compensate for the shortfall.
Impact on low-income countries
The funding cuts come amid worsening global vaccine shortages, putting millions of children – particularly in Africa and South Asia – at risk.
The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that 14.5 million children globally received no vaccinations at all in 2023, while an additional 6.5 million were only partially immunized.
Nearly 60% of the 21 million under-immunized children were centered in 10 countries, including:
- Ethiopia
- Pakistan
- Angola
- India
- Sudan
- the Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Yemen
- Afghanistan
- Indonesia
- Nigeria
Health experts warn of global consequences
Public health experts warn that these budget cuts may have a devastating ripple effect not just for low-income countries but for global health security.
David Elliman, a child health researcher at University College London, told the Science Media Centre that rising measles and tuberculosis cases in under-immunized regions pose a serious global threat, with the number of cases already increasing in the U.S. and Europe.
A report from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health estimates that vaccination programs across 73 countries could save nearly $782 billion in healthcare costs over the next decade.
See also: U.S. foreign aid freeze threatens critical programs in Africa
Sierra Leone’s Health Minister, Dr. Austin Demby, described the cuts as a “threat to global health security,” warning of measles and polio outbreaks if funding is not sustained.
Jennifer Nuzzo, a Professor of Epidemiology at Brown University, emphasized that U.S. funding for Gavi is not simply humanitarian aid; it is a cost-effective strategy to prevent deadly outbreaks that could also reach the U.S.
The WHO has cautioned that cutting investments in Gavi risks reversing 25 years of immunization progress, warning:
“Nobody should be mistaken – reversing these gains is a grave threat to us all.”
