By Shubhangi Chowdhury
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced Wednesday that the U.S. government will stop funding Gavi, the global organization that helps purchase vaccines to the world’s poorest children. Kennedy accused the organization for allegedly overlooking vaccine safety, accusing them of having “ignored the science” in immunizing children around the world.
Kennedy also accused the organization of making questionable recommendations around COVID-19 vaccines and raised concerns about the DTPw (diphtheria-tetanus-whole cell pertussis) vaccine in a brief prerecorded video message.
“When vaccine safety issues have come before Gavi, Gavi has treated them not as a patient health problem, but as a public relations problem,” Mr. Kennedy said in the address. But he did not offer any evidence for the allegation.
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Kennedy added that Gavi’s leaders were picking and choosing science to back their vaccine decisions. He said the U.S. will hold off on the $1.2 billion funding promised by the Biden administration unless Gavi changes how it operates.
“I’ll tell you how to start taking vaccine safety seriously: Consider the best science available, even when the science contradicts established paradigms. Until that happens, the United States won’t contribute more to Gavi,’’ said U.S. Health Secretary.
However, Gavi stated, that its vaccine purchases were driven by safety recommendations. “Any decision made by Gavi with regards to its vaccine portfolio is made in alignment with recommendations by the World Health Organization’s Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization (SAGE), a group of independent experts that reviews all available data through a rigorous, transparent and independent process,” statement issued by Gavi. “This ensures Gavi investments are grounded in the best available science and public health priorities.”
Kennedy’s address also hinted at a broader intention to scale back U.S. foreign aid spending.
His address to the Gavi summit came as an unexpected twist. Organizers only learned about it two days before the event and had to rush to fit it into a packed schedule. The summit was originally focused on technical panels aimed at boosting global vaccination rates, along with a high-energy pledging session where countries and organizations were set to announce new commitments to support Gavi’s mission.
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The Trump administration had previously signaled plans to cut its roughly $300 million annual contribution to Gavi, as part of a broader effort to scale back foreign aid. Meanwhile, several key donors, including Germany, Norway, and the Gates Foundation, had already stepped up with fresh pledges to fund Gavi’s future work.