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Vaccines have saved about 150 million lives from contagious diseases in the last 50 years, but that success is now at risk, says the World Health Organization (WHO).
Cuts to global health funding are leading to more outbreaks of diseases that vaccines had nearly wiped out, the WHO warned on Thursday.
In Africa’s “meningitis belt,” meningitis A was eliminated thanks to vaccines. Yellow fever deaths also dropped because of routine vaccines and emergency stockpiles.
Now, that progress is in danger. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said, “Funding cuts to global health have put these hard-won gains in jeopardy.”
In 2023, measles cases rose to over 10.3 million, a 20% increase from the year before. WHO and UNICEF say outbreaks are expected to keep rising into 2025.
Measles was declared eliminated in the United States in 2000. This designation meant that there was no continuous, year-round transmission of the disease within the country for at least 12 months, thanks to widespread vaccination and effective public health measures .
However measles continues to be common in many parts of the world, and international travelers can bring the virus into the U.S. When these imported cases reach communities with low vaccination coverage, they can lead to outbreaks.
In recent years, declining vaccination rates and increased vaccine hesitancy have raised concerns about the potential re-establishment of endemic measles transmission in the U.S. For instance, a Stanford University study projected that if current vaccination trends continue, the U.S. could experience over 850,000 measles cases within 25 years .
Anti- vaccination conspiracy theories have become popular in the United States in recent years and many parents have refused to vaccinate their children against common conditions like measles, mumps, and rubella. The spread of these conspiracy theories has been exacerbated by public figures like Robert F. Kennedy Jr., now Secretary of Health, who, despite acknowledging the measles vaccine as a primary preventative measure, has made several contradictory statements before he came into office that sow confusion among parents.
Yellow fever is also coming back. After years of falling cases, there has already been a rise in outbreaks in Africa in 2025, and cases have been confirmed in the Americas, most recently in Colombia.
Vaccination efforts are also being hurt by misinformation, population growth, wars, and less money from donors. A WHO review found that almost half of 108 countries have moderate to severe problems with vaccination campaigns.
UNICEF’s Executive Director, Catherine Russell, said the funding crisis is making it very hard to vaccinate over 15 million vulnerable children against measles.
Vaccines save about 4.2 million lives each year and protect against 14 diseases. Half of those lives are saved in Africa. Experts say vaccines are very cost-effective, giving $54 in benefits for every $1 spent.
UNICEF, WHO, and partners are asking parents, the public, and politicians to back vaccination programs and invest in public health.
Sources: United Nations. CDC.
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