The cuts in USAID will have devastating effects on vaccination programmes in many parts of the world (https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/mar/26/trump-vaccine-aid-funding). These cuts come hot on the heels of the UK's aid budget, to pay for increases in defence spending (https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2025/mar/05/cross-party-group-of-mps-express-deep-concern-over-cuts-to-uks-aid-budget). A study in Lancet HIV estimates that almost 3 million more folk will die before 2030 as a consequence of these and other aid cuts. These cuts will also impact on vaccination programmes for malaria and tuberculosis in children. Reducing vaccination programmes won't just impact on countries in the developing world. Failure to vaccinate will provide pathogens with opportunities to spread to developed nations via tourism. Climate change will also bring these infectives (and their vectors) nearer.
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