Pakistan, June 24 -- The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has pledged $1.6 billion to help protect millions of poor children from deadly diseases like measles and diphtheria. The funding will go to Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, over the next five years to support vaccine purchase and distribution in low-income countries.

Bill Gates said the world is at risk of seeing a rise in child deaths because of global cuts in aid. He stressed that rich nations must act now to stop poor children from dying of treatable diseases. "We cannot leave a legacy of ignoring this crisis," he said.

The foundation noted that simple, affordable, and proven vaccines exist, but many children still lack access. Gates called on wealthy nations to fully fund Gavi and ...