Can the EU lead the global fight against infectious disease?

‘With global institutions under pressure, Europe could take a bigger role in tackling vaccine-preventable diseases’

Global efforts to drive down infectious diseases have delivered major successes: smallpox has been eradicated, polio cases are down 99%, and vaccination has saved six lives per minute since 1974. Today, children can be protected against measles, diphtheria, tetanus and many other diseases.

This progress owes a great deal to international collaboration. For example, the WHO Expanded Immunization Programme has saved millions of lives since its introduction in 1974; the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) has almost ended death and paralysis associated with polio; and public-private initiatives, such as Gavi, are bringing the benefits of immunisation to people in poor countries.

Despite this, there is growing unease as the US pulls back from funding global health initiatives and prepares to leave the WHO. As World Immunization Week draws to a close (24-30 April) ‒ and European Immunization Week begins (27 April – 3 May) ‒ there are fears that the world is preparing to move backwards.

‘We are at a watershed moment in the history of global health,’ the WHO says. ‘Hard-won gains in stamping out diseases that are preventable through vaccination are in jeopardy. Decades of collaborative efforts between governments, aid agencies, scientists, healthcare workers, and parents got us to where we are today ‒ a world where we’ve eradicated smallpox and almost eradicated polio.’ 

With the US stepping back, other countries are examining how they could fill the gap. China, for example, is reported to see opportunities for global health ‘diplomacy’, while Saudi Arabia has expanded its commitment to polio eradication and stepped up support for WHO and Unicef.

What about Europe?

Vaccines Today asked the European Commission whether the EU is ready to take the leading role in global health. The Commission’s spokesperson on health said ‘the EU already has a leading role in combating vaccine-preventable diseases at international level as can be seen from two perspectives’.

EU financial and strategic support for Gavi continues, alongside support for building manufacturing capacity in partner countries. Taken together, the EU institutions and individual EU Member States are collectively Gavi’s largest contributor, representing around 30% of contributions to its current 2021–2025 strategic period.

Making vaccines, supporting uptake

The Commission points to the Team Europe Initiative on Manufacturing and Access to Vaccines, Medicines and Health Technologies (‘MAV+’) in Africa which was launched in 2021. Part of the Global Gateway strategy, the initiative has up to now mobilised around €2 billion in investments from the EU and its Member States (governments, development finance institutions). This includes support to the African Vaccines Manufacturing Accelerator, a pull financing mechanism launched by Gavi in 2024.

Health is also a key pillar of the European Union – Latin America and the Caribbean Global Gateway Investment Agenda, building on the EU-LAC initiative on local vaccine and health technology manufacturing announced in June 2022.

‘In addition, the EU is also actively supporting the strengthening of national health systems, which are essential for ensuring that vaccines can be effectively delivered to populations once they arrive in-country,’ the Commission says in a statement. ‘Robust health systems are the backbone of successful immunisation campaigns, enabling not only the safe storage and distribution of vaccines, but also the training of health workers and community outreach.’

A recent example is the €20 million allocated by the EU for the delivery of mpox vaccines in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), implemented through UNICEF and civil society organisations (CSOs). ‘This support highlights the EU’s commitment to ensuring that vaccines reach the people who need them most, by reinforcing last-mile delivery capacities and community-based health services,’ the spokesperson told Vaccines Today.