Funding cuts for global health programmes threaten childhood vaccination efforts, WHO says

GENEVA – Countries, including the United States, cutting down funding for life-saving global health projects could jeopardise vaccination programmes that protect children and adults from deadly diseases, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said on March 18.

The recent abrupt changes in donor budgets and capacity in global health has put a severe strain on immunisation programmes, particularly to measles prevention efforts, at all levels, the UN health agency said.

“The diversion of resources away from public health… creates a risk of further backsliding just when countries are recovering from the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic,” it said ahead of a meeting of its expert panel on immunisation.

Measles is a highly contagious airborne viral illness characterised by fever and a distinctive rash, which remains a significant cause of death among children globally, according to the WHO.

The WHO estimates that around 107,500 people died from measles in 2023, mostly children under the age of five years.

The best protection against measles is through the measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine as there is no specific treatment once a person is infected.

The WHO recommends two doses of the measles vaccine for all children, The first dose is typically given around nine months of age in areas where measles is common and 12 to 15 months in other areas, followed by a second dose later in childhood.

The United States is currently battling one of the largest measles outbreaks it has seen in the past decade, with a total of 294 infections reported as of March 14.

The US foreign aid pause implemented by President Donald Trump shortly after he took office in January has also crippled efforts to tackle major health crises including HIV, polio and tuberculosis. REUTERS