U.S. Pulls Support from Global Vaccine Group, Marking Sharp Break with Public Health Consensus
Kennedy accuses Gavi of “ignoring the science” as global health experts warn millions of children could be left vulnerable.
In a move reverberating across global health circles, U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced Wednesday that the United States would cease its financial support for Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, a key international coalition that has funded the immunization of more than 1.1 billion children in 78 low-income countries and is credited with saving an estimated 18.8 million lives since 2000.
The decision, delivered via a prerecorded video to a Gavi pledging conference in Brussels, marked the most public rebuke yet of the global vaccination architecture by the Trump administration.
“For too long, Gavi has ignored the science and lost the public trust,” Kennedy said, citing concerns over transparency and vaccine recommendations. “We will not contribute further unless Gavi re-earns that trust and follows the best available science—even when that science contradicts established paradigms.”
🏛️ A Break from Tradition
The United States has historically been one of Gavi’s most generous donors, contributing about 12% of its total funding since 2001. In 2020, under the Biden administration, the U.S. had pledged $1 billion through 2030—a commitment now effectively revoked.
The announcement comes at a precarious moment: Gavi is seeking to raise at least $9 billion to fund vaccine rollouts over the next five years, targeting preventable diseases in some of the world’s poorest countries. The United States' withdrawal could leave a significant funding gap just as efforts to combat surging cases of measles and other vaccine-preventable diseases intensify.
🧪 The Science Disputed
Kennedy, a longtime vaccine skeptic, reiterated accusations that Gavi and the World Health Organization (WHO) collaborated with social media companies during the COVID-19 pandemic to suppress dissenting voices and questions about vaccine safety—charges both organizations deny.
He specifically criticized Gavi’s advocacy for vaccinating pregnant women against COVID-19 and its continued funding of the diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis (DTP) vaccine in developing countries.
“We’ve seen studies showing girls vaccinated with DTP were more likely to die from other causes,” Kennedy claimed.
While some observational studies have shown higher non-specific mortality among vaccinated girls, the WHO has repeatedly stated that there is no causal link between DTP vaccines and increased mortality, and that such findings are often confounded by socioeconomic and health access variables. WHO has reaffirmed the DTP vaccine’s role in reducing childhood mortality and declared it safe and essential.
Gavi, in a statement issued Thursday, defended its approach:
“Our foremost concern is the health and safety of children. All vaccine decisions are grounded in recommendations made by WHO’s Strategic Advisory Group of Experts, and are based on the best available science and global public health priorities.”
🌍 Global Fallout and Counterbalance
Despite the U.S. withdrawal, other nations reaffirmed their support. The United Kingdom pledged £1.25 billion (≈$1.7 billion) to Gavi for the 2026–2030 period, funding that is expected to help immunize up to 500 million children against diseases including measles, cholera, meningitis, and more.
Gavi's work has become even more crucial as the world contends with vaccine hesitancy, war-induced public health collapses, and resurgences of once-controlled diseases like polio and measles. Public health experts warn that the U.S. retreat from global vaccination leadership could widen disparities and embolden misinformation.
“This is a case of politics outpacing evidence,” said a former CDC global immunization advisor. “Lives will be lost not because the vaccines failed, but because the support disappeared.”
📉 A Pivot with Lasting Consequences
Whether this signals a broader unraveling of the global immunization compact remains to be seen. Gavi's resilience will now depend on whether allied nations, private donors, and philanthropies can fill the vacuum left by Washington’s departure.
Kennedy concluded his remarks by challenging Gavi to “welcome scrutiny” if it claims to champion science. Yet for millions of children whose access to vaccines depends on continued investment, the consequences of politicized science may be felt most acutely not in boardrooms, but in clinics, classrooms, and village health centers.
In the end, the question may not be who gets heard, but who gets helped.