Global Health at Risk: Experts Sound Alarm as Trump Freezes USAID Funding

The government has been critical of USAID, claiming its spending lacks clarity. This has led to accusations that taxpayer money is being wasted on certain projects.

Health professionals are raising alarms about potential outbreaks and setbacks in developing vaccines due to funding cuts. USAID doesn’t just manage health programs; it also funds other organizations that help implement health initiatives. The funding freeze has left many of these groups uncertain about their future work.

While some humanitarian programs received exceptions, the funding halt has already caused significant disruptions in services. Dr. Tom Wingfield, a tuberculosis (TB) expert at the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, emphasized the severity of the situation. He pointed out that USAID’s efforts are crucial for tackling issues like under-nutrition, sanitation, and access to clean water, all of which significantly affect health outcomes related to TB and other diseases.

Dr. Wingfield noted that diseases do not care about borders, especially in our time of climate change and large population movements. This makes it easier for infections to spread. He highlighted that TB alone claims 1.3 million lives each year and leaves approximately 10 million people sick. Alarmingly, nearly four out of ten affected individuals do not receive the care they need, putting others at risk of infection.

He warned that disruptions to research and treatment facilities could lead to further cases of TB. “People will die directly due to cuts in US funding,” he stated. It’s not just TB services that are endangered; the fight against HIV is also at stake. Many non-governmental organizations (NGOs) that provide essential anti-retroviral drugs are being impacted as well. These medications help lower the viral load in HIV-positive individuals, which reduces the chance of transmission.

Dr. Wingfield cautioned that missing treatments can lead to increased virus levels in the blood, raising the risk of spreading the virus to others. He expressed concern that these funding cuts could erase years of progress made in managing HIV and TB.