Scientists criticise cut in UK funding for global vaccination group | Vaccines and immunisation

The UK has cut its funding to a leading global vaccination group by a quarter, a move that experts say will directly lead to the avoidable deaths of many thousands of children in developing countries.

The Foreign Office billed the £1.25bn commitment over five years to the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation (Gavi) as a major boost to the group’s work as well as to the UK’s status as a developer of vaccines. A series of aid agencies praised the decision.

It is a larger sum than had been feared by many in the aid world after the decision by UK government to cut its foreign aid commitment from 0.7% of national income to 0.5%, which will then fall to 0.3% in 2027.

However, the amount for 2026-29 is 24% lower than the £1.65bn pledged by Boris Johnson for 2021-25 to the Geneva-based public-private organisation, which has vaccinated more than a billion children in developing countries. When inflation is taken into account, it is a 40% cut.

The decision was condemned by two leading British vaccine scientists who had pushed for the UK to maintain its support for Gavi, especially in the light of massive US cuts to aid.

Dr Sandy Douglas, a senior vaccinologist at Oxford University’s Jenner Institute, who led efforts to scale up production of the Covid-19 vaccine, told the Guardian: “Many thousands of children who could have lived will instead die – it’s hugely disappointing to see the UK government backsliding rather than driving progress on global poverty.”

A statement from the One Campaign, which works on healthier lives in Africa, said that while the £1.25bn sum would immunise 72 million children and prevent 1.1m deaths, this was 400,000 fewer lives than would have been the case under the same funding level as before.

Sir Andrew Pollard, who led the development of the Oxford/AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine, said a study this week in the Lancet showing that stalled or falling vaccine coverage worldwide meant “we are losing ground in our battle against the vaccine-preventable life-threatening microbes that threaten human health”.

Pollard, who was speaking in a personal capacity, said: “Gavi is the key agency in supporting global immunisation and strengthening health-system vaccine delivery – this is the time to redouble our efforts on immunisation and not reduce them. It matters for children living in those countries where Gavi supports vaccine rollout but it also matters to us, as control of global infectious disease is essential for our own health security.”

The decision was announced on the same day as the US health secretary, Robert F Kennedy Jr, said Washington would not give any more money to Gavi until it had “re-earned the public trust” over vaccine safety.

Kennedy’s comments were made in a video address that was to be shown at the ongoing Gavi pledging summit and was leaked to Politico. The US had been expected to at least cut its funding for the alliance, which under Joe Biden was about $300m (£220m) a year.

Earlier on Wednesday the Gates Foundation, traditionally one of Gavi’s biggest donors alongside the UK, said it would commit $1.6bn (£1.17bn) over the next five years.

Announcing the UK funding, David Lammy, the foreign secretary, said: “Gavi’s global impact is undeniable. Over 1 billion children vaccinated, over 18 million lives saved, over $250bn injected into the global economy.

“I’m immensely proud of the role the UK has played in reaching these milestones. Our ongoing partnership with Gavi will give millions of children a better start, save lives and protect us all from the spread of deadly diseases.”