USAID cuts can send global health into chaos

The decision to finish almost all foreign assistance from the US agency for International Development (USAID), the Trump administration, is ready to bring global health to chaos.

The completion of the agreement announced on Wednesday will end HIV treatment and resistance, tuberculosis, polio, malaria, ebola and numerous other diseases and conditions. Nutrition assist programs for children in developing countries have also been closed, companies said.

About 5,800 projects funded by USAID have been completed, the hope that the frozen agreements were previously restarted.

“This reckless and unilateral action will spend millions of lives around the world,” Global Health Council, Nonpridinent Organizations and agencies, which accepts foreign aid funds in the United States, said in a statement.

The Council says, “The US government with a pen stroke has made decades of progress with global health, development and humanitarian assistance – without considering the good beliefs of proper process, transparency or consequences,” the Council says.

The Global Health Council is one of the most non -profit that challenged foreign assistance.

Within a short period of taking charge, the Trump administration suspended almost all foreign assistance that the funds that need to be reviewed 90 days to comply with the administration policy must be reviewed 90 days.

Thousands of humanitarian workers can lose their jobs and the delay in food and drugs in the poor region around the world.

A few days later, the State Department issued the Stop Work Work Order with the State Department and the USAID or by USAID or through the USAID. Stop-work orders came without warning, sown immediate chaos and confusion.

The State Department then issued a waiver to allow the President’s Emergency Plan (PEPFAR) to allow some “life -saving” programs for the AIDS relief. However, the waits were applied unevenly, and the companies waived that they were not yet paid.

International health groups say they were impressed that the waits would continue to apply within the review period of 90 days.

“The chaos and confusion of the past four weeks we thought we had reached the fever pitch but what happened [Wednesday] The night takes it to a new dimension. Each project of HIV, tuberculosis, malaria, nutritional support, tuberculosis, is now completed, “Mitchell Warren, executive director of AVAC, said in an international non -profit and funding fund, focusing on HIV resistance.

“The only strategy of the administration seems to be chaos and confusion. There is no attempt to see what is combined with foreign policies, diplomacy, partnerships. And there is no strategy to prepare for public health threats, “said Warren.

However, on Wednesday night, the administration said it had completed a “good-belief, independent assessment” of 6,300 grants of USAID in less than a month.

“Secretary [of State Marco] Rubio has now made a final decision on each award, on a separate basis, holding this award or the national interest of the materials or the national interest of the independent legal authorities and the foreign policy of the United States, “the administration has said to file a court.

The State Department says that agency has released critical awards for life -saving treatment, who were working under the previous fund refrigerator to waive under the waist, but health groups say that it is not that.

For example, the Elizabeth Glazer Pediatric AIDS Foundation has said that his initial three agreements, which were approved to resume limited work under the State Department’s waiver for life -saving work, were canceled.

Projects support about 10,000 children in HIV treatment and more than 10,000 HIV-positive pregnant people, including over 10,000 children in Lesotho, Eswatini and Tanzania.

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) says that 46 programs of its USAID and State Department have been canceled, including financing for operating nutrition support centers, which helps children in malnourished malnourished. Those who were working under the waiver.

The Joint UN HIV/AIDS program reports that its US government’s funds have also been completed.

Global Health experts say that the impacts of these cuts will be catastrophic in both health and how the United States is seen around the world.

If a HIV -infected person stops taking drugs, the virus is no longer suppressed and it can go multiply, resulting in the prevention, illness weaken and then the possibility of others spread.

For malaria, the cuts that programs supplied mosquito nets for the cribs will not continue, which means less children protected from malaria. It increases malaria infection, which can later increase death.

“It is only a cascading effect on almost every level that more people die, more people die, and eventually spend more people involved in these programs and care for these people,” said Jirir Retvosian, associate of the University of Duke University, Duke University.

“So on behalf of what we’re trying to do is the opposite” “

Jane Kates, senior co -president and director of the KFF’s Global Health and HIV Policy Program, says these finishes can bring back health progress years after years that are working in the United States and others in developing countries.

“The United States, obviously, was one of the main strengths behind health achievements in low and middle income countries. So a lot of money was provided to do these gains and they could be set again, “Kates said.” The amount of damage is not yet known, but I think in many cases it can be difficult to easily recover with any level of replacement funds in the future. “

Joslin Wayat, CEO of Aid Group Alite, said he had to finish the program for millions of displaced people in Sudan, Somalia and South Sudan.

Wiyat says Alite Sudan’s largest health supplier, served 2.5 million people. They worked under a concession during the previous funds, but this week 33 health clinics had to be closed in the country.

In Somalia, this group had to close 13 health centers, as well as a mobile clinic. In Sudan, it had to be shut down the water and sanitation services and three camps were closed for displaced persons and refugees.

“We are working in very remote areas. Humanitarian assistance was already very rare. There was not much service before, and there was nothing now, “Wiyat said.” These are life -saving services. No alternative, and people will die. “