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Yahoo
11-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
'Getting scary': US aid cuts undermine global fight against TB
The Trump administration's sweeping foreign aid cuts will send tuberculosis cases and deaths soaring around the world, humanitarian workers have warned. One told AFP that people are already dying from a lack of treatment in the war-torn Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The United States has long been the biggest funder for the global fight against tuberculosis -- once known as consumption -- which is again the world's biggest infectious disease killer after being briefly surpassed by Covid-19. But President Donald Trump froze US foreign aid after returning to the White House in January, abruptly halting the work of many US-funded programmes against tuberculosis and other health scourges such as HIV and malaria. Trump's billionaire advisor Elon Musk has boasted of putting the vast US humanitarian agency USAID "through the woodchipper". On Monday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that 83 percent of all USAID contracts were officially cancelled. It was unclear which programmes would be spared. The World Health Organization warned last week that the cuts would endanger millions of lives, pointing out that tuberculosis (TB) efforts averted 3.65 million deaths last year alone. The change has already brought about a major impact in many developing countries, according to aid workers and activists on the ground. In the Democratic Republic of Congo, many frontline community workers have been forced to stop helping tuberculosis patients, said Maxime Lunga, who heads a local group called Club des Amis. Even before the US funding cuts, there was shortage of TB drugs in the country, which is also facing outbreaks of mpox, as well as a mystery illness and a surge in fighting in its conflict-plagued east. "The chaotic situation is starting to get scary here," said Lunga, who is himself a tuberculosis survivor. "Right now we are receiving a lot of phone calls from patients asking us how to help them access care," he told AFP. "We know that some of the patients on waiting lists are now dying because they are not being treated." - 'People will suffer' - In Ukraine, another war-battered nation with high TB rates, a programme to teach children about the dangers of tuberculosis was just three days from starting in schools when the US order to stop work came in. Olya Klymenko, whose group TB People Ukraine spent two years setting up the programme, lamented that the money had been wasted. It was, she said, a "very bad deal". Klymenko feared the US cuts would reverse the gains that have been made since she survived TB a decade ago. "As a person who started receiving treatment when the old approaches were used, I know perfectly well what we have lost now," she told AFP. "People will suffer a lot." Lunga and Klymenko's organisations both received US funds through the Stop TB Partnership. The Geneva-based NGO received a letter from the US government terminating all funding late last month. It had to share the bad news with 150 community organisations that test, treat and care for patients in affected countries. Then Stop TB received a new letter last week rescinding the termination. "The new letter clearly indicates that all work should resume as planned," the organisation's executive director, Lucica Ditiu, told AFP. But it was still unclear whether the decision was permanent -- or when any new US money would actually be released, she added. - 'Snowball effect' - Allowing airborne TB to go untested and untreated could have a "snowball effect" across the world, Ditiu warned. There are already mutated forms of TB that are resistant to most drugs, and Ditiu feared the US cuts could result in a bug that no treatment can stop. "Interrupting a treatment for a drug-resistant TB person is horrible, because it will create a bug that will be spread through the air, so me and you and our families or friends can get it," she warned. The funding cuts were particularly "devastating" because 2024 was the "best year ever" for the fight against TB, Ditiu added. According to an internal USAID memo by a now-dismissed assistant administrator, the aid cuts will cause rates of tuberculosis and drug-resistant TB to both surge by roughly 30 percent. "The US will see more cases of hard-to-treat TB arriving at its doorstep," according to the memo, published in the New York Times earlier this month. The US is already reportedly experiencing the largest TB outbreak in its modern history in Kansas City. A humanitarian source in Geneva who wished to remain anonymous told AFP the situation was "very dangerous, even for the European Union" because of the risk linked to drug-resistant TB in Ukraine and Georgia. dl/gil
The Guardian
10-03-2025
- Health
- The Guardian
US aid cuts could create untreatable TB bug ‘resistant to everything we have'
Dangerous new forms of tuberculosis (TB) for which there is no treatment could emerge as a result of US aid cuts, a top doctor has warned. Dr Lucica Ditiu, who heads the Stop TB Partnership, said she feared that interruptions to people's treatment would allow the airborne bug to mutate into a new, untreatable form. Moreover, a lack of diagnostic services, which have also been badly affected by the Trump administration's aid cuts, would allow TB to spread more easily, she said. Programmes working to detect, treat and research new ways to fight TB are among nearly 10,000 health projects worldwide that received notices at the end of February that the US was terminating their funding after a review of aid spending. The US has historically provided between $200m (£155m) and $250m a year in bilateral funding to poorer countries for their work on TB, the World Health Organization said last week, warning that 'abrupt funding cuts' would 'cripple TB prevention and treatment efforts, reverse decades of progress, and endanger millions of lives'. In a statement, the organisation said: 'Early reports to WHO from the 30 highest TB-burden countries confirm that funding withdrawals are already dismantling essential services, threatening the global fight against TB.' That included layoffs of health workers, drug supply chains breaking down, disruption to laboratory services, and collapsing data and surveillance systems, it said. The Stop TB Partnership – a UN-hosted network of organisations working to fight the disease – received a notice that the US was terminating its funding, before a second message saying the termination was rescinded. However, Ditiu said funding flows had yet to resume, and that she still worried about the effect of wider cuts on the fight against TB. The US state department has said its strategy was now that 'every dollar we spend, every programme we fund and every policy we pursue must make America safer, stronger, and more prosperous'. But Ditiu said: 'Stopping the TB response doesn't do any of this. First of all, for sure it makes none of us safe, because TB is airborne. You cannot stop it at the border. It's spread through air – as long as you breathe, you will get it. And not just TB, but also drug-resistant TB and extreme drug-resistant TB. 'The current measures will probably create additional strains because there are people with interrupted treatment, there are people not diagnosed and so on,' she said. Ditiu said 2024 was the 'best year on record' in terms of diagnosing and treating people with TB. Those achievements would now 'roll backwards', she added. The world now faced a 'very grim' situation, she said. Drug-resistant tuberculosis remains hard to treat, with even modern six-month regimens coming with significant side-effects. 'I know that there were groups doing research on extreme drug resistance, including in South Africa, that were stopped right away,' she said. 'That means that the people receiving whatever treatment there are now out of treatment. 'So you can potentially create a bug with extreme drug resistance – you create a bug that is virtually resistant to everything we have,' she said. 'And this is the scary picture.' In 2023, there were 10.8m new TB cases and 1.25 million people dying from the disease. The US itself has had two tuberculosis outbreaks in the past three months, in Kansas and North Carolina. The WHO and UN have set targets of eradicating the disease by 2030, but even before the US aid decision, there was an $11bn shortfall in the global response. Disrupted treatment and diagnosis during the Covid pandemic resulted in doctors seeing 'more complicated' forms of TB in their patients, Ditiu said, including some with holes in their lungs. It was a pattern she expected to see repeated, particularly among the poor and vulnerable, she added. 'We did a lot of work with civil society and communities, and they were supporting people to get a diagnosis, to continue their treatment – and none of that is there now.' Ditiu said there could be drug shortages later in the year as countries used up their supplies. Some countries with high levels of TB, such as Indonesia, the Philippines, Nigeria, India and South Africa, may be able to find their own resources, Ditiu said, but others were likely to struggle, 'especially in Africa'. She hoped institutions such as the African Development Bank or World Bank would be able to help but thought people would die as a result of the cuts. It was 'heartbreaking', she said. 'I'm very upset that we were a bit trusting that the solidity of a commitment of a country like the US will be there for ever.'
NBC News
09-03-2025
- Health
- NBC News
World Health Organization warns of possible tuberculosis surge because of USAID cuts
Health authorities are calling attention to a looming consequence of the Trump administration's gutting of the U.S. Agency for International Development: the risk of a global surge in tuberculosis cases and deaths. The World Health Organization warned this week that the sweeping funding cuts could endanger millions of lives, since many countries depend on foreign aid for TB prevention, testing and treatment. 'Without immediate action, hard-won progress in the fight against TB is at risk,' Dr. Tereza Kasaeva, director of the WHO's Global Programme on TB and Lung Health, said in a statement Wednesday. Globally, tuberculosis is responsible for the most deaths of any infectious disease. Around 1.25 million people died from the bacterial infection in 2023, the latest data available, and new cases hit an all-time high that year, with around 8.2 million people diagnosed, according to the WHO. Until recently, USAID provided about a quarter of the international donor funding for tuberculosis services in other countries — up to $250 million annually, according to the WHO. The agency operated tuberculosis programs in 24 countries. The WHO said that because of the U.S. funding cuts, drug supply chains in other countries are 'breaking down,' laboratory services are 'severely disrupted' and surveillance systems are 'collapsing,' making it difficult to identify, monitor and treat tuberculosis cases. Some research trials have been halted, as well. That has incapacitated some national tuberculosis programs, with the WHO warning of devastating impacts in 18 countries with the highest burden of disease, many of which are in Africa. In Uganda, the rollback of USAID funding has made it hard to pay community health workers, leading to understaffing, said Dr. Luke Davis, a clinical epidemiologist at the Yale School of Public Health. Such workers play a critical role in notifying people who test positive for tuberculosis, getting them treatment and screening their close contacts for infection. 'Patients may get a diagnosis of TB after they've left the clinic because they're waiting for the results, and they may be at home with TB and not know they have TB. There's literally not the resources to go out and reach those people,' he said. 'People are dying because they have disease that hasn't been diagnosed, hasn't been treated, hasn't been prevented.' Since Jan. 24, the discontinuation of USAID funding may have led to an estimated 3,400 additional tuberculosis deaths and 6,000 additional infections, according to a project modeling the impact of the cuts. The model is coordinated by the Stop TB Partnership, a United Nations organization that aims to eliminate tuberculosis as a public health problem. Any increase in the disease's spread could affect the U.S., since it would allow more people who live or travel abroad to bring the disease in. Already, tuberculosis cases in the U.S. have risen: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recorded more than 9,600 cases in 2023, a nearly 16% increase from the year prior and a 9% increase over prepandemic levels in 2019. A persistent outbreak in Kansas has led to 68 active cases since January 2024. 'What happens when we travel overseas? I've known servicemen and -women who come back with multidrug-resistant TB after a tour of duty. I've known of bankers, people from Silicon Valley who work overseas, come back with the disease,' said Dr. Kenneth Castro, a professor of global health at Emory University's Rollins School of Public Health. 'The problem with all these infectious diseases is that they know no borders, and neither should our efforts stop at the border,' he said. A resurgence of tuberculosis in the U.S. from 1985 to 1992 was attributed, in part, to a decline in tuberculosis control programs and rising global cases. The White House did not provide a comment in time for publication. People with active TB usually develop a bad cough and chest pain. They may cough up blood and mucus and have difficulty breathing. Left untreated, the bacterial infection can damage the lungs and spread to other parts of their body such as the brain, kidneys and spine. It can be fatal for up to two-thirds of people with active cases who aren't properly treated, according to the WHO. But treatment is no quick matter: Tuberculosis patients must usually take antibiotics for six months, and stopping in the middle can lead a person to become resistant to the antibiotics, then spread that drug-resistant TB strain to others. Until the recent cuts, USAID had been instrumental in conducting surveillance to identify new tuberculosis cases, improving supply chains to get medicine to sick patients, and investing in clinical trials for new therapies and diagnostic tests. In communities that lacked radiologists to read X-rays, USAID also funded portable X-ray systems that use artificial intelligence to make diagnoses. Additionally, the agency helped countries procure drugs at lower costs, in part by funding the Global Drug Facility, a group that negotiates drug prices with suppliers. Many of those efforts came to a halt when the Trump administration stripped the agency down to bare bones. After firing or furloughing contractors in January, the administration laid off 1,600 staffers, then placed thousands more on administrative leave last month. The State Department slashed nearly 5,800 of USAID's foreign aid awards — more than 90% of the total — according to a lawsuit filed by nonprofits and businesses that receive USAID funding. The awards totaled $54 billion, according to The Associated Press. Secretary of State Marco Rubio issued a waiver in January allowing USAID's lifesaving humanitarian programs — including tuberculosis prevention and treatment — to continue, despite a 90-day freeze on foreign aid. But in a memo to staffers last month, a USAID official said that nearly all of the funding needed to keep those programs going had been terminated. The official warned of 'preventable death, destabilization, and threats to national security on a massive scale,' then was placed on administrative leave after sending the memo. The downsizing of USAID has been part of the broader effort to reduce federal spending led by Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency. Musk said on X last month that he was 'feeding USAID into the wood chipper,' and that he and Trump agreed the agency should be shut down. So far, federal judges have denied requests from USAID staffers and contractors to continue their work while lawsuits challenging their terminations play out. The Supreme Court on Wednesday, however, said the Trump administration had to pay USAID contractors $2 billion for work already completed. The WHO has a goal to reduce tuberculosis cases by 80% and deaths by 90% by 2030. That was already aspirational but is even further out of sight now, said Dr. Priya Shete, an associate professor of medicine and epidemiology at the University of California, San Francisco. USAID played a significant role in getting diagnostic tools and treatments over the 'last mile' to patients, Shete said. That included finding ways to transport drugs when road conditions were poor and funding mobile clinics that offered X-rays and bacterial testing. 'The loss of resources to get across the finish line is what's really disturbing to some people, and will end up costing millions of lives potentially,' she said. Experts worry the disruption to clinical trials will also hinder the development of treatments for drug-resistant infections and of new ways to detect cases in children, who are often hard to diagnose. 'The innovations do come back and benefit the U.S. as well,' Davis said.
Yahoo
06-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Funding cuts could harm global efforts to fight tuberculosis, WHO warns
The World Health Organization warned this week that massive cuts in funding, especially from the United States, could harm the fight against tuberculosis around the world. The U.S. has annually provided between $200 million to $250 million in funding for global TB programs, making it the "largest bilateral donor," according to the WHO. In January, President Donald Trump ordered a 90-day freeze on foreign aid delivered through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). The Trump administration last week canceled contracts worth about $60 billion in humanitarian work abroad that were funded by USAID and the State Department, including for global health programs. MORE: Kansas faces one of the largest tuberculosis outbreaks in US history According to the WHO, these cuts could affect TB response efforts in at least 18 countries, and where it says 89% of "expected" U.S. funding was being used for patient care. Africa, Southeast Asia and the Western Pacific are the regions hardest hit by TB that rely on funding, the WHO said in a statement Wednesday. Cuts will impact Africa particularly due to staff layoffs and disruptions in treatment, which could cause TB rates to rise, the organization said. "Any disruption to TB services -- whether financial, political or operational -- can have devastating and often fatal consequences for millions worldwide," Dr. Tereza Kasaeva, director of the WHO Global Program on TB and Lung Health, said in a statement. TB is a disease caused by a type of bacteria called Mycobacterium tuberculosis, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It's one of the world's leading infectious disease killers, the federal health agency says. TB is a preventable and treatable disease, but more than 3,500 people lose their lives to TB every day, according to the CDC. The United Nations says funding cuts are already causing the dismantling of health services, including layoffs, drug shortages and disruptions to research. "Without immediate action, hard-won progress in the fight against TB is at risk. Our collective response must be swift, strategic and fully resourced to protect the most vulnerable and maintain momentum toward ending TB," Kasaeva said. This week, the Stop TB Partnership -- which is hosted and administered by the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) -- updated a report on the TB response efforts impacted as a result of halted USAID funding, which include screenings, rapid testing, providing treatment, community monitoring and operational research. "While some mitigation measures are being explored, the long-term impact on TB care efforts could be severe if funding is not restored promptly," the report stated. MORE: What to know about TB after outbreak in Long Beach sickens 14 The WHO's warning comes after U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres warned last week that the U.S. funding cuts would have a devastating impact on humanitarian efforts. "These cuts impact a wide range of critical programs," he told reporters on Friday. "Going through with these cuts will make the world less healthy, less safe and less prosperous." On Wednesday, in a 5-4 ruling, the Supreme Court said the Trump administration must comply with a lower court's order and pay out nearly $2 billion in foreign assistance funds to nonprofit aid groups for work already completed on the government's behalf. The ruling did not specify a deadline by which the funds have to be paid out, and it's unclear if any of the funds were allocated for TB programs. Funding cuts could harm global efforts to fight tuberculosis, WHO warns originally appeared on
Yahoo
06-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Some malaria, TB programme cuts reversed by US, sources say
By Jennifer Rigby LONDON (Reuters) -Some lifesaving health projects that had their U.S. funding contracts abruptly terminated last week have received letters reversing that decision, two sources familiar with the projects and one of the groups told Reuters. The aid recipients said the decisions were promising, but their work remains in limbo as funding for their projects from the world's biggest donor had not yet restarted. See for yourself — The Yodel is the go-to source for daily news, entertainment and feel-good stories. By signing up, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy. On Thursday last week, the Trump administration cancelled around 90% of contracts funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the U.S. State Department, sending shockwaves across the global aid community. Michael Adekunle Charles, chief executive of the RBM Partnership to End Malaria, said his organization's letter reversing that decision arrived late on Wednesday. "I think it's good news. We need to wait in the coming days to get additional guidance," he said. "Our priority is saving lives, so the earlier we can get started to continue saving lives the better." However, Charles said that would be difficult unless funding started to flow again. Some U.S. foreign aid contractors and grant recipients will take their fight to get payments restored to a federal judge in the U.S on Thursday. The U.S. State Department was not immediately availabl for comment. Other programmes hosted by the U.N. and part-funded by the U.S., including the Stop TB Partnership, also had termination notices reversed this week, two sources close to the groups told Reuters. Trump ordered a 90-day pause on all U.S. foreign aid on his first day back in office. That action, and ensuing stop-work orders halting USAID operations around the world, have jeopardized the delivery of life-saving food and medical aid, throwing global humanitarian relief efforts into chaos. The administration has also placed most USAID staff on leave and eliminated 1,600 jobs. Subsequent waivers for some of the work added to the confusion, followed by the terminations last week.
