Aid cuts could cause 22m avoidable deaths by 2030, study finds

Modelling suggests 5.4m children under five among those who could die if budgets of donor countries such as UK and US continue to be slashed

Aid cuts could lead to more than 22 million avoidable deaths by 2030, including 5.4 million children under five, according to the most comprehensive modelling to date.

In the past two decades there have been dramatic falls in the number of young children dying from infectious diseases, driven by aid directed to the developing world, researchers wrote in the Lancet Global Health. But that progress was at risk of reversal because of abrupt budget cuts by donor countries, including the US and the UK.