International vaccine alliance, Gavi, says it has not received word from the United States that it plans to cut more than $1 billion in funding pledged to the organisation.
The comment comes after the New York Times reported that Donald Trump’s administration intends ending its grant.
Dr Sania Nishtar, the CEO of the alliance which buys critical vaccines for developing countries, says it has not received a “termination notice from anyone in the US administration”.
“The fact of the matter is that we have had consistent bipartisan support from the United States over the last 25 years, including from the previous Trump Administration, which was when we worked with them very closely.”
The Geneva-based group has helped immunise more than half the world’s children against infectious diseases. It warns that one million young people could die if Washington cuts its funding.
Nishtar says Gavi is planning to engage with the US to outline the importance of continuing support and “to explain to them in the most respectful way what the consequences of this cut would be”.
“We are at the cusp of our next replenishment cycle. The aspiration is to vaccinate 500 million children and save 8 million lives in the process,” she says.
Nishar adds that because the US underwrites 15 per cent of its budget, this would translate into 75 million children not getting vaccinated.
“About 1.3 million children would lose their lives,” she adds.
Health experts warn that cutting Gavi’s funding will ultimately cost the world more money and reverse 25 years of gains made in the fight against many deadly diseases.
Gavi was founded in 2000 by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the World Health Organization, UNICEF, and the World Bank.
Source: Africanews
