Vaccine access is a global issue that saves lives and reduces the spread of pathogens worldwide. We can contribute by advocating for funding global vaccine initiatives and supporting organizations dedicated to addressing vaccine equity.
Global vaccine equity means ensuring that people all over the world have equal access to lifesaving vaccines. The COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated that pathogens do not respect borders, and vaccines can reduce global deaths from preventable illness. To protect ourselves, we need to ensure that people in other countries are also protected.
Unfortunately, the current leader of the U.S. department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has decided to pull the U.S. support of the Global Vaccine Alliance (GAVI). This is concerning. So, let’s talk about GAVI and why global vaccine equity matters
What is the Global Vaccine Alliance (GAVI)?
Gavi is a global partnership that includes the World Health Organization, UNICEF, and many different countries like the United States, Japan, and the United Kingdom. They are working together to ensure children everywhere have access to lifesaving vaccines. Since it was founded in 2000, Gavi has helped vaccinate more than 1 billion children and saved nearly 19 million lives.
This is one of the clearest examples of how U.S. leadership and bipartisan support in global health have made a real difference. Through our support of Gavi, we’ve helped protect kids around the world from deadly, preventable diseases.
Now, that progress is at risk. Gavi’s plan for the next five years includes vaccinating at least 500 million more children, saving over 8 million lives, and generating $100 billion in economic benefits. And by 2030, Gavi expects recipient countries to cover nearly half the cost of their own vaccine programs. This means U.S. investment is a smart, sustainable investment. But without continued U.S. funding, Gavi could lose the ability to reach millions of children.
Gavi has always had strong bipartisan support in Congress. Now is the time to reaffirm that commitment because lives depend on it (ways you can help are at the end)!
How much of a problem is vaccine equity?
Lack of access to vaccines is a major global issue. An estimated 1.5 million children, most under five, die every year from vaccine preventable diseases. This comes out to one death every twenty seconds. In 2023, about 14.5 million [archived link] children had not received any vaccine at all and 6.5 million were only partially vaccinated. The majority of these children live in low and middle income countries which is why 99% of deaths due to vaccine preventable illness occur in these locations. These deaths are driven by disparities in vaccine access. For example, in the U.S. and Europe 91-95% of people have received two doses of the MMR vaccine, compared to about 49% in the WHO African region.
This isn’t the only example. Global discrepancies in access to vaccines also exist for many other diseases such as Mpox, COVID-19, pneumonia, diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, and polio. This results in preventable deaths and long term health impacts on children and people of all ages.
Why do these disparities exist?
There are many reasons for these disparities that vary based on country. In many countries though, these vaccine disparities have deep roots in colonialism.
For example, in African countries, centuries of slavery, colonialism, and ongoing exploitation have drained the continent of its wealth and of its capacity to build essential systems like healthcare and education. While African countries have made strides toward vaccine production and administration, well-thought-out, transnational collaborations to increase access to vaccines are essential.
Examples of other contributing factors include lack of infrastructure to manufacture vaccines, unreliable vaccines suppliers, high cost of vaccines and political instability and conflict.
Supporting global vaccine equity could be viewed as one small step towards reparative justice for centuries of still ongoing resource extraction and exploitation. To learn more about the role of reparations in public health go here and here.
The goal of global vaccine equity efforts is to support countries in developing and maintaining their own vaccination programs long term. This requires an initial investment from governments worldwide. Organizations like UNICEF and the Global Vaccine Alliance (GAVI) receive these funds and use them to address vaccine equity in alignment with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The SDGs focus on 17 different areas, with the objective of improving society over time by supporting countries in their development efforts. Vaccine access directly contributes to 14 of these goals and is key to sustainable development.
What can we do to support efforts towards vaccine equity?
We should advocate for the importance of vaccination within our own borders, as disparities and hesitancy still exist here. But we must also focus on global vaccine access to improve health outcomes everywhere.
Shot@Life, a UN Foundation initiative focused on education, advocacy, and partnerships to promote global vaccine equity offer training to help those in the United States with their advocacy and provide many advocacy resources. I have become a Shot@Life champion to better advocate for this issue. You can join as well! Below I also share resources to help you:
For those in the United States:
Sign the Shot@Life petition: You can sign the petition here and it will get sent to Congress to let them know you support funding GAVI.
Contact your representatives directly: Reach out to your elected officials and urge them to support funding global immunization programs. If you live in the United States you can find your elected representatives through this link. You can email, call or even request a meeting with their offices. Below is a sample script and Shot@Life provides resources for those who want to learn more about advocacy.
Script below is from Shot@Life:
Hi, my name is [Your Name], and I’m a constituent from [Your City, State, ZIP Code].
I’m calling today about global childhood immunization. Every year, vaccines save more than 4 million lives. Yet every 20 seconds, a child still dies from an infectious disease that could have been prevented by a vaccine. This is unacceptable. As Congress begins to consider Fiscal Year 2026 funding, I ask [Members of Congress] to support robust funding for global child immunization programs, including UNICEF and Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance.
Please call me back at [Your Phone Number] or email me at [Your Email]. Thank you for your time! I look forward to your response.
For those in Canada:
Sign the ONE vaccine petition: Add your name here to support government investment in global vaccination efforts.
Results Canada: A nonprofit advocacy group focused on supporting global immunization and other international issues. Find out more on their website here.
For those in the UK:
Results UK: A nonprofit advocacy group focused on supporting global immunization and other international issues. Find out more here.
For those anywhere in the world:
Donate to organizations tackling this issue: Consider donating to GAVI, The Global Vaccine Alliance, Doctors Without Borders, and UNICEF or other organizations working to address global health and vaccine access. Even small donations can make a difference.
Raise awareness in your communities: Get the word out about the importance of global vaccine equity by sharing with your friends and family in person, through writing letters to local newspapers or through online social media posts.
The COVID-19 pandemic has shown us that national borders are irrelevant when it comes to pathogens and public health. To make everyone healthier and safer we must adopt a global view on public health and vaccination. Addressing these issues before they reach a crisis level is beneficial for everyone.
Stay nerdy, and help everyone stay safe!
