WHO Warns Funding Cuts For Global Health Programs Jeopardize Childhood Vaccination Efforts

Reuters (3/18, Sunny, Santhosh) reports, “Countries, including the United States, cutting down funding for life-saving global health projects could jeopardize vaccination programs that protect children and adults from deadly diseases, the World Health Organization said on Tuesday.” The recent “changes in donor budgets and capacity in global health has put a severe strain on immunization programs, particularly to measles prevention efforts, at all levels, the U.N. health agency said.” Kate O’Brien, director at the WHO’s immunization department, said the backsliding in immunization efforts has partly been a result of “concerns that people have related to misinformation around measles vaccine, (which) is creating an environment where measles cases are occurring again in places around the world that have already eliminated measles.”