Health officials by the Trump administration The agency is paying attention to the outcome of the gutting of the International Development: the risk of global rise in tuberculosis cases and deaths.
The World Health Organization warned this week that funding cuts could endanger the lives of millions of people, as many countries depend on foreign support for TB prevention, testing and treatment.
Dr. Director of WHO Global Program on TB and Lung Health. Said in a statement Wednesday.
Globally, tuberculosis is responsible for the highest death of any infectious disease. Around 1.25 million people died from bacterial infections in 2023. 8.2 million people diagnoseAccording to WHO.
According to the WHO, until recently, the USAID provided about a quarter of international donor funds for tuberculosis services in other countries – up to $ 250 million annually according to the WHO. The agency conducted tuberculosis programs in 24 countries.
WHO said that due to the reduction of US funds, drug supply chain in other countries “breaks”, laboratory services are “severely disturbed” and surveillance systems are “broken”, making it difficult to identify, monitor, and treat tuberculosis cases. Some research tests have also been halted.
This has incapable of some national tuberculosis programs, with the WHO warning of the most burden of the disease in 18 countries, many of which are in Africa.
In Uganda, rollback of USAID funds made it difficult to pay for community health workers, which leads to understatement, the clinical epidemiologist of the Yale School Public F Public Health. Luke Davis said. Such workers play an important role in notification of those who have a positive test for tuberculosis, receiving treatment and investigating their close contacts for infection.
“Patients can get a diagnosis of TB after leaving the clinic because they are waiting for the results, and they can be with TB at home and do not know that they have TB. There is no literal resources to go out and reach those people, “he said. “People are dying because they have a disease that has not been diagnosed, has not been treated, not stopped.”
Since January 24, the USAID’s funds have led to the death of approximately 3,400 additional tuberculosis and 6,000 additional infections, according to A project modeling of cut effect. This model is coordinated by the United Nations Institute Stop TB partnership which aims to eliminate tuberculosis as a public health problem.
Any increase in the spread of the disease in the US Can be affected, as it will allow more people to live or cause disease. Already, the US Increased cases of tuberculosis: Disease Control and Prevention Centers More than 9,600 cases were registered in 2023An increase of about 16% from the previous year and an increase of 9% at the prependemic level in 2019.
One Kansas had a constant outbreak January 2024 has led to 68 active cases.
“What happens when we travel abroad? I know servicemen and women who come back with a multidrug -resistant TB after a visit to the duty. I know about bankers, people at Silicon Valley who work abroad come back with the disease, “Dr. Professor of Global Health of Rollins School Public Health at Emery University Public Health. Keneth Castro said.
“The problem of all these infectious diseases is that they do not know any borders, nor should our efforts be stopped at the border.”
From 1985 to 1992 the US Resurrection of tuberculosis, partly. Decrease in tuberculosis control applications And Rising global cases.
The White House did not comment on time for publication.
People with active TB usually develop bad cough and chest pain. They can cough blood and saliva and have difficulty breathing. Untreated, bacterial infections damage the lungs and spread to other parts of their body such as the brain, kidney and spinal cord. It can be fatal for Two -thirds of the active case Who does not treat properly, according to who.
But treatment is not a quick matter: patients with tuberculosis must usually take antibiotics for up to six months, and staying in the middle can lead a person to be resistant to antibiotics, then drug-resistant TB stress can spread to others.
Until recent cuts, the USAID helped identify new tuberculosis cases, improve the supply chain to obtain medication to sick patients and carry out surveillance to invest in clinical trials for new treatments and diagnostic tests. In communities lacking radiologists to read X-rays, USAID also funded portable X-ray systems that use artificial intelligence to diagnose.
In addition, the agency helped countries obtain low -cost drugs, as part of funding the global drug facility, a group that negotiates drug prices with suppliers.
Many of those efforts were halted when the Trump administration pulled the agency towards the bone. After firing or furloughing contractors in January, the administration released 1,600 employees, then put thousands of more on administrative leave last month. The State Department reduced the USAID’s foreign aid awards by about 5,800 – more than 90% of the total – according to – Litigation By non -beneficiaries and businesses that get USAID funds. According to the Associated Press, the total billion was $ 54 billion.
State Secretary Marco Rubio issued an apology in January, including the prevention and treatment of the USAID’s life -saving humanitarian program – including the prevention and treatment of tuberculosis. 90-day stability on foreign aid. But in the memo last month, an official of the USAID said that almost all the funds needed to continue those programs were terminated.
The official warned that “preventive death, instability and threats for widespread national security”, then were placed on administrative leave after the memo was sent.
The downsizing of USAID is part of the widespread efforts to reduce the federal costs led by Alon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency. Grief said on x Last month he was “feeding USAID in a wooden chipper” and he and Trump The agreed agency should be closed.
So far, federal judges have rejected the requests of USID employees and contractors while their work continues while challenging their conference. The Supreme Court on Wednesday said the Trump administration had to pay $ 2 billion to the USAID contractors already completed.
The WHO has a target to reduce tuberculosis cases by 80% and death by 90% by 2030. He was already ambitious, but now he is more out of sight, said Dr. Dr. San Francisco’s University of California Medicine and epidemic collaborative Professor. Priya Shet said.
USAID played a significant role in obtaining diagnostic tools and treatments on “last mile” for patients, Shet said. These include finding ways of transporting drugs when the road condition was poor, and mobile clinics that offer X-rays and bacterial tests.
“The loss of resources to complete the finish line is that some people really disturb, and will potentially cost millions of people.”
Experts worry that disruption to clinical trials also hinders the development of treatment for drug-resistant infections and the development of new ways of finding cases in children, which are often difficult to diagnose.
“Innovations come back and also benefit the US,” said Davis.
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