Bill Gates
Bill Gates has issued a stark warning to global leaders: 2025 could mark the first year in over two decades where the number of children dying before their fifth birthday rises—unless urgent action is taken to sustain global vaccine funding.
In a keynote delivered at the Global Summit on Health and Prosperity through Immunisation in Brussels on June 25, Gates made it clear that recent setbacks in health aid are threatening to undo one of the greatest global health achievements of modern times.
The primary concern? Declining financial support for Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, a public-private partnership that Gates helped found in 2000.
“There’s never been a point in the past 25 years when more lives hung in the balance,” Gates told the summit.
Gates’s message was sobering: the world is in danger of letting decades of progress slip away, just as life-saving tools and knowledge are becoming more accessible and affordable than ever before.
The Vaccine Impact: A Historic Turnaround in Child Mortality
At the heart of Gates’s presentation was a chart he described as his favorite.
It showed a dramatic drop in child mortality from 1990 to the present. According to Gates, over nine million children died before their fifth birthday each year in 1990.
Thanks to sustained immunization and health investments, that number has fallen by nearly half.
This decline is not just a victory of science, but of cooperation, equity, and global resolve.
Vaccines have become the single most effective tool in preventing child deaths from diseases such as measles, pneumonia, and polio.
“Vaccines are the biggest reason why fewer children are dying. But they don’t just save lives—they transform them,” Gates noted.
“When kids grow up healthy, they’re more likely to attend school, thrive physically and mentally, and contribute meaningfully to their communities.”
Gavi, with its collaborative funding model and strategic partnerships, has played a critical role in this transformation.
The alliance negotiates with pharmaceutical companies to lower vaccine prices and works directly with governments to strengthen national immunization programs.
Gates praised Gavi’s innovative procurement model, which has reduced the cost of vaccinating a child by more than half.
One of the most notable successes is the pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV), which helps prevent pneumonia.
Gavi helped deliver it to lower-income countries for just $2 per dose, bringing life-saving immunization to millions of children who otherwise would have gone without it.
Breakthroughs and Scale: A Single-Dose Revolution
Gates also highlighted the game-changing impact of scientific innovation in vaccine delivery.
A key example is the adoption of a single-dose schedule for the HPV vaccine, which protects against cervical cancer.
This shift has enabled countries to scale vaccination campaigns more efficiently and cost-effectively.
In Nigeria, for instance, the single-dose strategy helped vaccinate 12 million girls in under a year.
This, Gates said, would not have been possible under the old multi-dose system, which required more resources and time.
“Scientific progress has made immunization easier, faster, and cheaper than ever before,” Gates emphasized.
“We now have tools to reach more children with fewer resources—but only if governments continue to invest in them.”
A Tipping Point: The Threat of Budget Cuts
Despite these advances, Gates warned that current trends in global health financing could lead to a devastating reversal of progress.
The United States, historically a key donor to Gavi, is among several countries that have signalled reductions in foreign aid for health.
The consequences of underfunding Gavi’s next five-year strategic plan could be severe.
Gates cautioned that failing to meet Gavi’s budget needs will delay or derail immunization campaigns, increase disease outbreaks, and lead to unnecessary child deaths.
“The next 25 years will depend on whether the world keeps showing up,” he said.
Gates noted that this is not just about vaccines, but about values.
The Gavi model reflects a global consensus that all children, regardless of where they are born, deserve a chance at a healthy life.
Pulling back now, he argued, sends a dangerous message that such lives are no longer a priority.
Why Vaccines Matter Now More Than Ever
Gates emphasized that the world stands at a critical juncture. In his words, this is “a perilous time” for global child health.
Climate change, economic instability, political conflict, and the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic have all placed additional pressure on health systems, especially in low-income countries.
The cost of inaction, Gates warned, is steep.
Measles outbreaks are on the rise in some regions, vaccine hesitancy is gaining ground, and routine immunization coverage has stagnated in others.
Without renewed investment, the world may witness the return of diseases that had once been nearly eradicated.
He also pointed out that vaccines are a long-term investment in prosperity.
Children who survive and thrive grow into healthier adults, contributing to economic growth and stability in their countries.
“It’s not just about saving lives—it’s about building stronger societies,” Gates explained.
Past Lessons and a Call for Solidarity
Gates reflected on the early days of Gavi, when skeptics doubted whether vaccines could be effectively delivered to remote or conflict-affected areas.
Today, Gavi-supported programs have immunized over 1 billion children and prevented more than 17 million deaths globally.
The lesson, Gates said, is clear: when governments, the private sector, and civil society come together with urgency and purpose, they can solve seemingly insurmountable problems.
But success is not guaranteed. And without sustained funding and political will, the infrastructure and gains made by Gavi and its partners could unravel.
“We’re at a point where everything we’ve achieved is vulnerable,” he said.
The Ask: Renew Commitments to Gavi
Gates’s appeal in Brussels was not just to policymakers, but to citizens and philanthropists.
He urged the international community to renew its support for Gavi as it prepares for its next phase.
He stressed that the $9 billion Gavi replenishment target is not just a number—it represents the future of immunization in 2026 and beyond.
“We need all hands on deck. Gavi needs full funding. Millions of lives are at stake.”
As Gates closed his speech, his message was clear: global health progress is one of the greatest human achievements of our time, and it must not be abandoned.
A Critical Moment for Global Solidarity.
With child survival hanging in the balance, 2025 is shaping up to be a defining year for global health.
Bill Gates has sounded the alarm, urging the world not to step back but to step up.
Gavi, he reminded us, is more than an organization—it is a lifeline. And unless urgent action is taken, the most vulnerable children will pay the highest price.
