Aid funding cuts disrupt child vaccinations almost as much as Covid-19 pandemic, says UN
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A child receiving anti-polio vaccine drops during a door-to-door vaccination campaign in Kabul, Afghanistan.
PHOTO: EPA-EFE
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LONDON - Global aid funding cuts, led by the United States
Outbreaks of infectious diseases, including measles, meningitis and yellow fever, have been increasing globally.
Emergency and routine vaccinations meanwhile were significantly affected in nearly half of countries at the start of April due to the funding cuts, according to reports from World Health Organisation (WHO) offices in 108 largely low and lower-middle income countries.
Cuts to funding also reduced vaccine supplies and hampered disease surveillance, the WHO and Unicef said in a joint release with Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance.
“Setbacks (are) at a similar level to what we saw during Covid-19. We cannot afford to lose ground in the fight against preventable disease,” said Ms Catherine Russell, Unicef executive director.
Covid-19 caused what was called the largest backslide in childhood vaccination
They called for funding for childhood immunisation to be maintained ahead of Gavi’s funding round, which will be launched in June.
The group is seeking US$9 billion (S$11.83 billion) for its work from 2026-2030.
Dr Sania Nishtar, Gavi’s chief executive, said it was possible to fight the rise of infectious diseases, but only if the group is fully funded.
Measles cases have increased year on year since 2021, while meningitis surged in Africa in 2024 and yellow fever cases also rose after declines in the last decade, the agencies said.
In March, an internal US government document showed it would follow its cuts to Unicef and the WHO, part of wider plans to streamline and focus foreign aid to align with the "America First" policy, by cancelling its contribution of around US$300 million annually to Gavi.
Last week, the US State Department told Reuters it had nominated Mr Mark Lloyd, assistant administrator for global health, to Gavi’s 28-person board. The US seat had previously been vacant.
Both the US State Department and Gavi declined to comment about what this could mean for US funding. REUTERS
