Latest news with #Lancet
&w=3840&q=100)
Business Standard
16 hours ago
- Health
- Business Standard
'Your cuts will kill 8 mn more children': Bill Gates warns US government
Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates has sounded alarm over the United States government's decision to cut funding for global health initiatives. Sharing a post on X, Gates warned that this could lead to the deaths of an additional eight million children by 2040. Citing a Lancet study, he wrote, 'It found that, by 2040, 8 million more children will die before their fifth birthday. To give some context for 8 million: That's how many children live in California, Texas, Florida, New York, Pennsylvania, and Ohio combined.' Gates mentioned: 'When the United States and other governments suddenly cut their aid budgets, I know for a fact that more children will die.' When the United States and other governments suddenly cut their aid budgets, I know for a fact that more children will die. Here's the proof I'm showing Congress. — Bill Gates (@BillGates) June 25, 2025 Global health work spans decades Having spent more than 25 years in the global health space, Gates emphasised how aid has been crucial in saving lives. 'Over the past 25 years — the same span of time I spent leading Microsoft — I have immersed myself in global health... and worked in close partnership with national and local leaders to strengthen the delivery of lifesaving care,' he said. He underscored that aid withdrawals have tangible and tragic consequences: 'Global health aid saves lives. And when that aid is withdrawn — abruptly and without a plan — lives are lost.' Gates added, 'At this point, I know as much about improving health in poor countries as I do about software.' Cuts already impacting health services Gates warned that recent US cuts to global health funding are already affecting critical programs. Efforts to test for tuberculosis, prevent malaria, and distribute essential medicines are slowing down. During recent visits to Nigeria and Ethiopia, he observed how health services are suffering due to funding shortfalls. Despite the bleak outlook, Gates expressed hope. 'It's not too late to change course,' he wrote, urging the US Congress to restore funding for key programmes such as PEPFAR and the Global Fund. Gates slams Musk for USAID shutdown In May this year, Gates harshly criticised Tesla CEO Elon Musk, accusing him of contributing to child deaths in poor countries by supporting budget cuts. 'The picture of the world's richest man killing the world's poorest children is not a pretty one,' Gates told The Financial Times, accusing Musk of acting 'through ignorance'. Musk, the then head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), spearheaded the closure of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) earlier this year. He had posted on X: 'USAID is a criminal organisation. Time for it to die.' Massive fallout from USAID's closure The abrupt halt in USAID operations has led to life-saving supplies expiring in storage, according to Gates. He warned that diseases like polio, measles, and HIV could see resurgence, potentially reversing decades of global health progress. With the Gates Foundation's annual budget expected to rise to $10 billion in the coming years, Gates acknowledged that private philanthropy cannot match the scale of government aid. 'I think governments will come back to caring about children surviving,' he said.
Time of India
a day ago
- Business
- Time of India
Clock ticks for South Korea
By Sunil Chandra Dal South Korea, long hailed for its rapid modernisation and economic success, is now facing an unprecedented fertility crisis. The nation's population is shrinking at an alarming pace, with the birth rate plunging to a historic low. If this trend persists, South Korea's population could shrink to just a third of its current size by the end of the century—a situation that could destabilise the economy and threatens the country's survival. The Total Fertility Rate (TFR) for South Korea is 0.7 live births per woman. A TFR of 2.1 represents the replacement-level fertility: the average number of children per woman needed for each generation to exactly replace itself without needing international immigration. A value below 2.1 will cause the native population to decline. According to experts, South Korea's population is the lowest. According to Worldometer ( the population of South Korea is estimated at 51,667,029 or 51 million (5.1 crore) in 2025. The annual change in population is −0.1%. Worldometer, which works on data released by the United Nations, estimates the South Korean population to be 4.5 crore in 2050 with a yearly change of minus zero point nine percent. The country has implemented a range of measures to encourage higher birth rates, including recruiting foreign childcare workers, offering tax incentives, and even proposing military service exemptions for men who have three or more children by the age of 30. However, these initiatives have had limited success so far, with the birth rate continuing to decline. Decreased fertility rates tend to be caused by lower marriage rates, more delayed marriages, and increased age of parents. Economic factors such as income, labour market conditions, socio-cultural factors–including changes in the values of education and gender roles, and family and health policy–are the main causes of lower fertility rates. Changing social norms and values play an important role. Parents prefer no more than one or two children to focus on each child's success with lower financial burden. In a survey conducted in 2012 in South Korea, 90% of the respondents stated that they are reluctant to have children because of high education cost, including private education fees. This appears to be a common factor in many countries. Global scenario Other countries like China, Japan, and some European countries have been affected by dropping TFRs. For China, 2025, the population is 1,416,096,094 and thus grew by −0.23% or -3,225,184. By 2050, China's population is expected to be 1,260,289,093 or growing by −0.71% annually. The total fertility rate is one birth per woman i.e. TFR=1. China has now reversed its one-child policy, which was enforced strictly for decades, resulting in a decreasing population. According to a study published in the Lancet, only six countries will have fertility rates above replacement level in 2100: Samoa, Somalia, Tonga, Niger, Chad, and Tajikistan. The TFR in Western Europe is predicted to be 1.44 in 2050, dropping to 1.37 in 2100. While declining TFR can lead to population decline and pose challenges for societies, it is not likely to cause human extinction. Even with low TFR, human populations are still growing globally, and replacement level fertility (around 2.1 children per woman) is not a strict threshold for survival, according to experts. The case for India In India, the average TFR has now dipped below replacement level in several states. While India remains one of the few countries with a youthful demographic advantage, that edge may not last long. For India, the population in 2025 is 1,463,865,525 (146 crore), with a yearly change of +0.89. The TFR is 1.9, which is below the replacement level of 2.1. For 2050 the Indian population is predicted to be 1,679,589,259 or 167.9 crore or growing at 0.28%, according to Worldometer. Many states, especially those located in the south, have reached below-replacement fertility. The country still benefits from a large working-age population, but experts warn that without proactive policy planning, India too may face the consequences of population stagnation—just on a delayed timeline. Family planning policies have to be updated in the face of falling TFRs or else India will face the same problems being tackled by South Korea today. While nations experiment with cash incentives, parental leave policies, and immigration reforms, demographers say what's truly needed is a deeper shift: support for women's career goals, affordable childcare, and workplace flexibility. As the world redefines family, India stands at a crucial crossroads—one where demographic decisions made today will shape the nation's future for generations.
2 days ago
- Health
Vaccination rates are slipping around the world. Canada isn't immune, says new study
After decades of progress, childhood vaccination rates have started stalling or falling around the world in recent years, and Canada is not immune to the trend, suggests a new study (new window) from The Lancet. The study estimated the coverage of 11 childhood vaccines in 204 countries and territories between 1980 and 2023, analyzing over 1,000 data sources from around the world. It found that although globally there were huge strides made in vaccine coverage for children during that period (vaccine coverage against diseases like measles, polio and pertussis more than doubled), progress started stalling, even before the COVID-19 pandemic. Particularly in the Americas and high-income countries, between 2010 and 2019, measles vaccine coverage declined in about half the countries, said Dr. Jonathan Mosser, an assistant professor of health metric sciences at the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington and one of the co-authors of the study. The pandemic dealt a heavy blow to vaccination rates, with more than 15 million children globally missing routine shots between 2020 and 2023, Mosser said. The world never fully rebounded to pre-pandemic childhood vaccination levels, he said. The pandemic reversed decades of progress that we had in reducing the number of zero-dose children, those children that have never received one of these key childhood vaccines. Worsening vaccine inequalities The pandemic had an outsized impact on regions that already had low vaccine coverage before COVID-19, Mosser said. Countries in sub-Saharan Africa saw the greatest disruption to vaccine coverage: five to seven million children in the region are estimated to have missed vaccines protecting them against diseases like polio, pneumococcal disease and rotavirus. We have challenges related to really long-standing global inequalities and vaccination coverage with many low- and middle-income countries having significantly lower coverage than high-income countries, Mosser said. Why vaccination rates have started stalling varies from country to country, he added. WATCH | Misinformation largely driving vaccination decline: study: Début du widget Widget. Passer le widget ? Fin du widget Widget. Retourner au début du widget ? Decline in childhood vaccination fuelled by global conflicts, misinformation: Lancet 2 days agoDuration2:01A new study published in the Lancet medical journal suggests childhood vaccinations have stagnated or declined since 2010. The authors say geopolitical instability is fuelling the drop in some countries, but misinformation is largely driving the decline in high-income countries. In some places around the world, they're related to geopolitical instability, they're related to supply chain issues. In many high-income countries, they're related to vaccine misinformation and hesitancy, he said. Convincing those who won't get vaccinated In Canada, Mosser said, vaccine coverage for most shots has dropped compared to the early 2000s. Uptake for some vaccines have fallen over time, like the shot that protects against diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis. Recently there's been some increases in uptake for other jabs – like the first dose of the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine — but the modest increase isn't enough to prevent outbreaks. For instance, Mosser said, vaccination rates for measles in 2023 — 92 per cent for one dose of the MMR and 79 per cent for two doses of the MMR — are well below the threshold needed for herd immunity, which is 95 per cent. In high-income countries like Canada, vaccine misinformation and hesitancy have seriously undermined confidence in vaccines and contributed to lower vaccination coverage, said Mosser. Another contributing factor could be disparities in coverage, along divides like socioeconomic status, location, race or religion, he added. New strategies are needed to encourage people to listen to trusted and reliable voices, including their health-care providers, about vaccination. WATCH | Why ending the measles outbreak will be challenging: Début du widget Widget. Passer le widget ? Fin du widget Widget. Retourner au début du widget ? Why it's going to be hard to end Ontario's measles outbreak Ontario currently has more measles cases than in all of the U.S. combined, and infections are climbing in Alberta and Manitoba. CBC's Jennifer Yoon breaks down what's behind the resurgence of a disease eliminated decades ago, and why those on the front line say it's going to be really difficult to get this outbreak under control. In a statement, the Public Health Agency of Canada said it is researching the various and often complex reasons driving vaccine hesitancy across Canada. The agency says it also is developing evidence-based awareness campaigns and resources to support health-care providers encountering vaccine hesitancy. 'A travelling world' As public health authorities try to convince those in Canada who won't get vaccinated, it's also important to support and fund vaccination campaigns around the world, say experts in Canada. The world is a travelling world, said Dr. Mahli Brindamour, a pediatrician at Jim Pattison Children's Hospital in Saskatoon. If we don't have good vaccine coverage in sub-Saharan Africa, that touches Canada as well, said Brindamour, who also practices at REACH clinic, a multidisciplinary refugee clinic. She says she's seen patients, often from regions facing conflict, where it's difficult to access vaccines. But they're almost always eager to get the shot, if one is needed and offered. We don't see a lot of vaccine hesitancy, she said, in reference to refugee populations. Dr. Gabriel Fabreau, a general internal medicine specialist in Calgary, who also works with newcomer populations, has also observed that his patients don't hesitate to get childhood vaccinations. He says Canada should make it easier for these populations to catch up on any childhood vaccines they've missed. Health systems work best if we make routine and easy things that we know are important, he said. Ramping up pre-departure vaccination programs, facilitating medical and vaccine record-sharing across borders and offering vaccines upon arrival are easy ways to address this complex problem, he added. Jennifer Yoon (new window) · CBC News
India Today
2 days ago
- Health
- India Today
Explained: Zero-dose children and why India ranks second globally
A recent Lancet report has highlighted a concerning issue: a large number of children in India are missing essential vaccines, including those who have not received even a single shot. These children are referred to as 'zero-dose' report revealed that India has over 1.44 million zero-dose children, the second-highest in the world after Nigeria. These children are part of a larger group across eight countries where most unvaccinated children particular, the study highlights the rise in 'zero-dose children", those who did not receive even the first dose of the basic DTP vaccine (diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis). This raises urgent questions: Who are these children? Why are they being left out? And what can be done to change this?What does 'zero-dose' mean?A zero-dose child is one who has not received even the first dose of the DTP vaccine. This vaccine is a key indicator of access to immunisation children are completely unprotected against common yet life-threatening diseases that vaccines can easily children often belong to marginalised or hard-to-reach communities. They may live in remote rural areas, urban slums, or regions affected by conflict, poor healthcare infrastructure, and deep social many cases, their families may be unaware of vaccination schedules or lack access to nearby health behind India's rising numbers?India has made significant progress in reducing vaccine-preventable diseases over the past two decades. However, the Covid-19 pandemic severely disrupted routine immunisation programmes. A zero-dose child is one who has not received even the first dose of the DTP vaccine. (Photo: Reuters) Lockdowns, fear of visiting health centres, overburdened hospitals, and the diversion of health resources toward managing the pandemic all contributed to a sharp drop in vaccine coverage, according to the Lancet the number of zero-dose children dropped slightly from 14.3 million in 2022 to 13.9 million in 2023. In India, the number improved from 2.7 million in 2021 to 1.6 million in 2022, but it remains high — especially for a country with a strong public health record, including programmes like Mission does this matter?Children who miss out on vaccines are more likely to fall seriously ill or die from preventable diseases like measles, polio, and diphtheria, illnesses that have been nearly eliminated in many parts of the also risk spreading these infections to others, particularly babies too young to be vaccinated or those with weakened immune is one of the most cost-effective health interventions available. As India moves toward Universal Health Coverage, closing the gap on zero-dose children must become a top missed vaccine is a missed chance at a healthy future and every child left behind is a reminder of the work still to be done.- Ends
Express Tribune
2 days ago
- Health
- Express Tribune
Unvaccinated children in Pakistan rising
Pakistan has become the second largest country with the highest number of children with zero doses of vaccines in South Asia after India, a media report said, quoting a new study by British medical journal Lancet. The study found that Pakistan had 419,000 children falling into that zero-vaccine category. Pakistan is one of the last two countries in the world, alongside Afghanistan, where polio still remains endemic, despite global efforts to eradicate the virus. The Lancet said in a press release that a major new analysis from the Global Burden of Disease Study Vaccine Coverage Collaborators, said that despite progress of past 50 years, the last two decades have also been marked by stagnating childhood vaccination rates and wide variation in vaccine coverage. In 2019, it said, the WHO set ambitious goals for improving vaccine coverage globally through the Immunisation Agenda 2030. However, it added, the challenges exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic, leaving millions of children vulnerable to preventable diseases and death. The authors of the study, "Global, regional, and national trends in routine childhood vaccination coverage from 1980 to 2023 with forecasts to 2030", said that the latest estimates should be taken as a "clear warning" that 2030 target would not be achieved without "transformational improvements". The IA2030 goals included halving the number of 'zero-dose' children — estimated as children aged under 1 who have not received any dose of the diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis vaccine. The programme also aimed to achieve global coverage of 90% for each of the life-course vaccines.
