US Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced that the United States would no longer fund the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (GAVI), which purchases vaccines for low-income countries. At the same time, he did not provide any evidence to justify his decision, informs Reuters.
Kennedy, who is known to be critical of vaccinations, criticized GAVI’s recommendations for COVID vaccinations and expressed doubts about the diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis (DTPw) vaccine.
“I’m calling on Gavi today to regain public trust and live up to the $8 billion in funding America has provided since 2001. Until that happens, the United States will not contribute more.”, – said Kennedy.
In response to this statement, GAVI emphasized that its activities are based on scientific evidence and WHO recommendations. The organization said in a statement that it is “fully confident” in the safety of the DTPw vaccine, which it says has halved child mortality in partner countries since 2000.
“We share the minister’s opinion on the need to take into account all available scientific data and will continue to adhere to a scientifically based approach in our activities”, – emphasized in the alliance.
Kennedy’s speech came amid a donor conference in Brussels, where GAVI is seeking to raise $9 billion to fund its work over the period 2026-2030. Despite the US decision, other key donors, including Germany, Norway and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, have already confirmed their support for the alliance. Kennedy also said in his speech that he recognized GAVI’s efforts to expand access to medicines, but accused the organization of “neglecting safety” in the name of a global vaccination campaign.
Robert Kennedy Jr. has long opposed vaccination and is known for spreading unproven information about its harm. As Secretary, he initiated a large-scale reorganization that effectively collapsed key institutions of the American health care system. Among other things, he announced the launch of a vaccine-autism study led by David Geyer, a non-licensed and trained individual who has previously been involved in medical malpractice cases.
Earlier, the intention to reduce GAVI funding was announced by the administration of Donald Trump, which estimated the annual contributions of the US at the level of about $300 million.
GAVI is an international partnership between governments, private entities, WHO, UNICEF, the World Bank, vaccine manufacturers and charitable foundations, created in 2000 to increase access to vaccination in poor countries. According to the alliance, since its inception, vaccines have been delivered to more than 70 countries, and hundreds of millions of children have been vaccinated against dangerous infections. GAVI estimates that more than 5 million deaths have been avoided.
