The Conversation with Dasha Burns Bill Gates on vaccine hesitancy, AI and global health
Dec 12, 2025
Bill Gates, co-founder of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and a stalwart in global health philanthropy, dives into pressing issues like vaccine skepticism and government aid cuts. He highlights alarming projections that child deaths may rise in 2025 for the first time this century. Gates emphasizes the crucial role of vaccines, discusses engaging with policymakers, and addresses the urgency of restoring health funding. He also explores the impact of AI on diagnostics and delivery while advocating for innovative solutions to the challenges ahead.
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Progress Reversed By Aid Cuts
- Bill Gates frames the past 25 years as a public health miracle that cut child deaths by half.
- He warns that recent aid cuts are reversing that progress and causing preventable deaths to rise.
Field Visits Shaped His Commitment
- Bill Gates describes visiting malaria wards and seeing fewer children there now compared with earlier years.
- Those field observations motivated his commitment to dedicate his money to reducing child deaths further.
Cuts Hit Poorest Countries Hardest
- Gates highlights regions like northern Nigeria where child mortality exceeds 10%, unlike the U.S. where it's under 1%.
- He links recent U.S. and European aid reductions to disruptions in bed nets, nutrition, and TB detection.