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Wiping out measles impossible due to vaccine hesitancy in rich countries, says Bill Gates

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The Straits Times. (2026, September 15). Wiping out measles impossible due to vaccine hesitancy in rich countries, says Bill Gates. The Straits Times. https://www.straitstimes.com/world/europe/wiping-out-measles-impossible-due-to-vaccine-hesitancy-in-rich-countries-says-bill-gates

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The Straits Times · collected 2026-09-15 · by The Straits Times

Quick Summary

Bill Gates told Reuters in an interview that vaccine hesitancy in wealthy countries has made eradicating measles globally impossible. He attributes this trend partly to influence from figures like Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who have promoted skepticism towards vaccines for decades. The Microsoft co-founder emphasized the rise in measles cases in developed nations due to declining vaccination rates, contrasting it with stable immunization levels in lower-income regions where the disease remains more deadly due to poor nutrition and healthcare systems.
Written by AI on 2026-09-15, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

Bill Gates told Reuters that eradicating measles globally is no longer feasible due to increasing vaccine hesitancy in wealthy countries. The Microsoft co-founder and philanthropist previously aimed to eliminate the disease with his foundation but now deems it unattainable because of growing skepticism promoted by figures like Robert F. Kennedy Jr in the United States under President Donald Trump's administration. Gates noted that while around 2 million children died annually before the measles vaccine was introduced in the 1960s, currently about 100,000 children die each year from the disease, largely due to lack of vaccination. He considers this a tragic development for global public health efforts.

Written for “Measles Vaccine Hesitancy” on 2026-11-01, grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.

Story

📰 Measles Vaccine Hesitancy
Health · 1 article(s) covering the same event.

Compared with similar articles

This article reads unscored and hedges 0% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.
The Guardian
⚖️ Leans left Hedges 1 of 23 claims Outlet record 66/100
“The articles discuss different aspects of vaccine hesitancy and its impacts, but do not describe the same specific incident.”
Al Jazeera
⚖️ Leans left Hedges 2 of 13 claims Outlet record 60/100
“The articles discuss different aspects of the measles vaccine issue: one focuses on Bill Gates' comments about vaccine hesitancy in rich countries, while the other reports on a US senator criticizing Trump's vaccination policies.”
The Independent
⚖️ Leans left Hedges 3 of 20 claims Outlet record 59/100
“The articles discuss different aspects of measles and vaccination concerns without describing the same specific incident.”
The Straits Times
⚖️ Leans left Hedges 4 of 24 claims Outlet record 66/100
“The articles discuss related topics but describe different events: one is an interview with Bill Gates about vaccine hesitancy impacting measles eradication, and the other is a poll on American trust in measles vaccines.”
How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
19
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
0%
0 of 19 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
withheld
no quote in the article backed the model's score
Publisher signals
66/100
The Straits Times's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
1
Health
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Analyzed 2026-09-15 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability
Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

The Straits Times · 4103 article(s) · 5 correction(s) detected
Running correction rate · 5 correction(s)

Who wrote this

The Straits Times
2624 article(s) here · 0 carrying a prediction
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2026-11-01 · The Straits Times
Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.
All 2624 articles by The Straits Times →

Topics

LONDON Microsoft Reuters WHO the United States

Subjects

Gates PERSON · 4× Reuters ORG · 3× Bill Gates PERSON · 2× the United States GPE · 2× Donald Trump PERSON · 1× LONDON GPE · 1× Microsoft ORG · 1× Robert F. Kennedy Jr. PERSON · 1× United Nations ORG · 1× WHO ORG · 1×

Narrative

But it was now off the table due to increased vaccine hesitancy in wealthier nations, part of a wave of scepticism championed for decades by the now health secretary in the United States under President Donald Trump, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. “At one point, the foundation wanted to eradicate measles, but the vaccine hesitancy in rich countries has meant that’s not on our list of goals,” Gates said.
framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-09-15

Claims (19 extracted, 0 hedged)

Wiping out measles impossible due to vaccine hesitancy in rich countries asserted
Wiping → wipe → countries
, says Bill Gates AI asserted
Gates → say → ?
LONDON - Vaccine hesitancy in rich countries means ending measles as a global public health threat is not currently possible asserted
ending → mean → threat
, Bill Gates told Reuters in an interview. asserted
Gates → tell → interview
The Microsoft co-founder turned billionaire philanthropist said wiping out the killer childhood disease had previously been a potential goal for his eponymous foundation, which focuses on global health and the world’s poorest people. asserted
which → turn → health
But it was now off the table due to increased vaccine hesitancy in wealthier nations, part of a wave of scepticism championed for decades by the now health secretary in the United States under President Donald Trump, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. “At one point, the foundation wanted to eradicate measles, but the vaccine hesitancy in rich countries has meant that’s not on our list of goals,” Gates said. asserted
Gates → increase → goals
“I think that’s kind of tragic.” asserted
that → think → ?
Measles, among the world’s most contagious diseases, causes a high fever, a cough and a tell-tale rash. asserted
Measles → cause → fever
The virus killed around 2 million children every year before the introduction of a vaccine in the 1960s. asserted
virus → kill → 1960s
Nowadays, around 100,000 children die annually, largely in countries where conflict or logistics make immunisation difficult. asserted
immunisation → die → countries
The WHO says vaccination rates need to be above 95 per cent to prevent outbreaks. But recent years have also seen a surge in cases in countries where the disease was almost forgotten, including in the United States and Europe, as vaccination rates have fallen. asserted
rates → say → States
Gates said that vaccine hesitancy had at least not spread to lower-income countries, where measles can be much deadlier than in richer countries due to malnutrition and healthcare gaps. asserted
measles → say → malnutrition
“There’s always that concern that if you have doubters in the US, that becomes a global thing,” he said. asserted
he → ’ → US
“But we haven’t seen an increase in vaccine hesitancy in the countries the foundation works in.” asserted
foundation → see → countries
Aid cuts Gates was speaking ahead of the foundation’s annual Goalkeepers event, which looks at progress towards the United Nations global development goals set for 2030, including on improving health. asserted
which → speak → health
In 2025’s report, Gates warned of the impact of aid cuts led by Trump’s administration, and followed by other wealthy countries like Britain and Germany, on the health of the world’s poorest. asserted
Gates → warn → world
For 2026, he said the cuts had likely caused many deaths, but the restoration of some money had prevented the worst-case scenario. asserted
restoration → say → scenario
Efforts from impacted countries and other health groups also held off disaster, as Reuters has reported. “The most dire predictions, which went above 10 million deaths, we don’t see that taking place,” Gates said, adding that he continued to urge governments to restore aid or at least not cut it further. asserted
he → impact → it
“It’s still a very tragic situation.” asserted
It → ’ → ?
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