Wiping out measles impossible due to vaccine hesitancy in rich countries, says Gates
Gates said vaccine hesitancy in wealthy nations has put measles eradication off the table, even as the World Health Organization says 95% coverage is needed.
- Bill Gates, a co-founder of The Microsoft, told Reuters that eradicating measles is no longer a viable global health goal due to rising vaccine hesitancy in wealthy nations.
- Skepticism in the United States, championed by Robert Kennedy, has fueled this shift away from eradication goals. Gates stated, "At one point, the foundation wanted to eradicate measles, but the vaccine hesitancy in rich countries has meant that's not on our list of goals."
- Measles remains among the world's most contagious diseases, with The WHO requiring vaccination rates above 95% to prevent outbreaks. Deaths dropped from around 2 million annually in the 1960s to around 100,000 today, yet recent surges occurred in Europe and the United States.
- Gates expressed concern that United States skepticism could influence lower-income nations, though he noted, "We haven't seen an increase in vaccine hesitancy in the countries the foundation works in." Malnutrition and healthcare gaps make measles deadlier in those regions.
- Speaking ahead of the annual Goalkeepers event regarding 2030 development goals, Gates addressed previous aid cuts by the administration of President Donald Trump. He noted that while cuts likely caused deaths, restored funding helped prevent the "most dire predictions" of over 10 million deaths.
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Bill Gates says rich-country vaccine scepticism has made global measles eradication impossible
Bill Gates says rising vaccine scepticism in wealthy countries has made the global eradication of measles unattainable for now, removing the goal from his foundation’s priorities even as children in poorer countries continue to suffer most of the deaths.
Wiping out measles impossible due to vaccine hesitancy in ...
Bill Gates: Vaccine Hesitancy in Rich Nations Derails Measles Eradication Goals
Bill Gates, billionaire philanthropist and co-founder of Microsoft, expressed concerns about increased vaccine hesitancy in wealthy nations, which hampers efforts to eradicate measles as a public health threat. Despite aims to wipe out the disease through philanthropy, the goal remains unattainable due to skepticism over vaccines.
Bill Gates: Anti-vaccine attitudes in rich countries makes herd immunity for measles impossible
Gates said that vaccine hesitancy had at least not spread to lower-income countries, where measles can be much deadlier than in richer countries due to malnutrition and healthcare gaps.
A disease that once killed around two million children a year is spreading again in countries where it was almost forgotten.
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