Lily Chen retweeted
I’m deeply sad to learn of the passing of Dr. Bill Foege. Bill was a towering figure in global health—a man who saved the lives of literally hundreds of millions of people. He was also a friend and mentor who gave me a deep grounding in the history of global health and inspired me with his conviction that the world could do more to alleviate suffering.
Bill and I often talked together about the future of global health. The legacy of his career is that many of the remarkable developments to come will have his imprint all over them. gatesnot.es/4sZmDqd
Lily Chen retweeted
.@fervoenergy is creating energy that’s clean, affordable, reliable, and American-made.
Lily Chen retweeted
Learning how many kids were dying from diarrhea back in 1997—when I never worried about it with my own kids—led me to get involved in global health. gatesnot.es/46lTfBz
Lily Chen retweeted
Thanks to vaccines, fewer children are dying from preventable diseases around the world. Cutting funding for them would reverse that progress and put millions of children in danger.
Lily Chen retweeted
The devastating effects of these cuts are entirely preventable—and it’s not too late to reverse them.
An HIV doctor in Africa, whose work depends on USAID and PEPFAR, sends in a dispatch of the bleak situation now unfolding there
thebulwark.com/p/a-religious…
Lily Chen retweeted
The facts are simple and devastating: Aid cuts have already cost lives, and the number of deaths will continue to rise. Here’s the evidence.
Lily Chen retweeted
To me, this is the most remarkable thing about global health: With a relatively small amount of money, you can do a great deal of good for a great many people. This is money well spent, and we should go back to spending it—now.
Lily Chen retweeted
Health aid is a small piece of America’s foreign aid, which is itself a small piece of the federal budget. In 2023, the US spent less than one percent of the federal budget on lifesaving global health programs: b-gat.es/4l9AyW1
Lily Chen retweeted
According to a @UNAIDS analysis, ending PEPFAR-supported programs for people living with HIV could result in an additional 4.2 million deaths by 2029: b-gat.es/4lbD4Lw
Lily Chen retweeted
Since 2000, @gavi has helped get vaccines to 1.1 billion children. The U.S. announced that, after this year, it’s pulling out all its money. If that happens, Gavi estimates that 75 million children will miss vaccinations over the next five years—and of those, 1.2 million children will die.
Lily Chen retweeted
A study in the Lancet recently looked at the cumulative impact of reductions in American aid. It found that, by 2040, 8 million more children will die before their fifth birthday: b-gat.es/44wCCQO
Lily Chen retweeted
U.S. global health and development aid is estimated to have saved 92 million lives over the past 20 years. We can't afford to let that kind of progress unravel: b-gat.es/4kjSUCG
Lily Chen retweeted
There’s never been a point in the past 25 years when more lives hung in the balance. gatesnot.es/4lxznzP
Lily Chen retweeted
It's not too late to change course.
Happening now at the Senate Approps hearing on rescissions: @SenatorCollins (R-ME) says PEPFAR "remains a bipartisan priority of Congress" and emphasizes that cutting "funding aimed at preventing disease transmission would be extraordinarily ill-advised and short-sighted."
Lily Chen retweeted
In the last 25 years, @gavi has helped over a billion kids live better, healthier lives. Pulling the organization’s funding would have devastating consequences: more sick kids who fall behind in school, more overcrowded hospital wards, and eventually more grieving parents. I’m urging Congress to rethink this decision, fund Gavi, and help save millions more lives.
Today, world leaders reaffirmed their commitment to protecting children from vaccine-preventable diseases, raising $9 billion for @gavi. This reflects strong global confidence in vaccines as one of the most effective investments in global health.
As a founding partner, the @gatesfoundation committed $1.6 billion to support continuing Gavi’s proven impact: 1.1 billion children vaccinated and nearly 19 million deaths averted over the past 25 years.
But Gavi still faces a funding gap—driven in part by the U.S. administration’s intention to withdraw support. If Congress allows this to happen, the consequences will be devastating. Hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of preventable deaths will occur, especially among mothers and children. Science welcomes scrutiny, but it demands evidence, too. And the science is clear: vaccines save lives. Without continued U.S. support for Gavi, far too many lives will be lost.
Lily Chen retweeted
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. gatesnot.es/3ZMNVTA
Lily Chen retweeted
It’s always an honor to partner with incredible Nigerian healthcare workers, midwives, researchers, innovators, and changemakers—like @NcpwdOfficial and Wheelchairs for Nigeria's Chief Ayuba Gufwanm, a polio survivor who has spent his life raising awareness, delivering mobility aids, and championing vaccines. People like him make me hopeful that, despite the odds and obstacles, we can #EndPolio for good. Thank you H.E. President @officialABAT for this recognition.
Today, I conferred the Nigerian National Honour of Commander of the Federal Republic (CFR) on Mr Bill Gates @BillGates in recognition of his decades-long commitment to improving lives through interventions in global health & polio eradication, education, digital innovation, and agricultural development, especially in Nigeria and across Africa.
Bill Gates' contributions have saved millions through the Gates Foundation @gatesfoundation and many such initiatives, uplifted communities, and inspired global action.
We also had meaningful conversations on deepening our collaboration in health systems, innovation, and youth development, reaffirming our shared belief that real progress begins when we invest in people.
Nigeria remains open to ideas, partnerships, and actions that move humanity forward.
~ Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR
