While the UK continues its close 25-year partnership with Gavi, the US is halting funding to the organisation. In a move that reflects the country’s ongoing pullback from international aid, US health secretary Robert F Kennedy, Jr (RFK) claimed Gavi had ignored science.

The Gates Foundation said on Tuesday it will commit $1.6 billion over the next five years to support Gavi, a public-private partnership that helps buy vaccines for the world's poorest children. The number of kids dying around the world will likely go up this year because of the massive cuts to foreign aid,