US halts funding for global health programmes

Trump administration terminates thousands of USAID contracts, threatening efforts to combat HIV, malaria and malnutrition

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is ceasing funding for thousands of projects aimed at combating global epidemics and humanitarian crises. According to The New York Times, the Donald Trump administration has cancelled 5,800 contracts that supported initiatives to fight HIV, malaria, polio and chronic malnutrition worldwide.

Risks to the health of millions

Experts warn that such a decision could lead to catastrophic consequences. The director of the African Research Centre, Catherine Kebutungi, stated:

"Люди умрут, но мы никогда не узнаем точного масштаба трагедии, поскольку даже программы по учёту погибших попали под сокращение." ("People will die, but we will never know the exact scale of the tragedy, as even the programmes for tracking the dead have been cut.")

Consequences for countries dependent on US aid

Regions in Africa, Asia and Latin America will be hit hardest by the funding cuts, where many medical programmes relied directly on US support. The closure of these projects could lead to increased mortality, a rise in infectious diseases and a deterioration of the humanitarian situation in the poorest countries.