The Trump administration has officially ended financial support for approximately 5,800 global health initiatives, a move that threatens access to vaccines, life-saving medications, and emergency healthcare for millions worldwide.
On Wednesday, the U.S. State Department began issuing notifications to thousands of health organizations, refugee camps, tuberculosis clinics, and polio vaccination projects, confirming the termination of their funding from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). The decision, first reported by the New York Times, has sparked widespread concern among health professionals and humanitarian organizations.
The now-defunded programs includes a wide array of critical health services, including HIV treatment, malaria prevention efforts across Africa, and maternal healthcare support in Nepal. Among the major initiatives affected is a $90 million malaria prevention contract, a Democratic Republic of Congo-based project that provided clean water to 250,000 displaced individuals, and an HIV treatment program in Lesotho, Tanzania, and Eswatini led by the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation.
Other impacted programs include a $34 million medical supply management contract in Kenya, 87 shelters across South Africa supporting thousands of survivors of sexual and domestic violence, a nutrition program in Yemen focused on identifying malnourished children, and a severe acute malnutrition treatment project in Nigeria serving millions of women and children.
Health experts have warned that the consequences of these cuts will be catastrophic. Dr. Catherine Kyobutungi, executive director of the African Population and Health Research Center, condemned the decision, stating, “People will die, but we will never know, because even the programs to count the dead are cut.”
The move has drawn international criticism, with many urging the U.S. government to reconsider its stance on global health assistance. As affected nations scramble to mitigate the fallout, the future of these essential health services remains uncertain.
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