Experts warns danger to global health because US freeze foreign aid

Global Health expert United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is expressing his disappointment and anxiety, which distributes tens of billions of dollars of foreign aid every year.

The administration of President Donald Trump has announced a huge reduction in the agency’s workforce and immediate suspension of almost all assistance programs.

The US government has announced a 90-day freeze on funding for assistance projects, while it “reviews” it to ensure that they align with President Trump’s priorities.

Trump is a long -term critic of foreign expenses and has said that there is a need to bring it to his “America First” strategy.

The administration has specifically targeted the USAID, saying that the agency’s expenses are completely unclear and some projects are out in a way how the agency is wasting taxpayers’ money.

On the other hand, health experts have warned of the spread of the disease, as well as delayed the development of vaccines and new remedies as a result of the cut.

Along with running many health programs directly, USAID funds have created confusion among these groups to work on their behalf, and freeze in funding.

Rebate for funding freeze for some human programs has been released, but the announcement has already created widespread disruption for services.

Tuberculosis (TB) and Social Medicine specialist at Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, UK. Tom Wingfield said that the BBC said it is difficult to reduce the impact of the decision to destroy USAID.

“People do not appreciate the boundary and access of USAID. It leads to access to under-nutrition, hygiene, toilets, clean water, which has massive effects on all TB and diarrheal diseases.

“Disease does not respect boundaries – this is even more case where we have climate change and mass movement of people. Infectious diseases will spread.”

Dr. Wingfield says that TB kills 1.3 million people per year and further makes 10 million people sick.

But four out of 10 people never care about and hence it can transmit the disease, he said.

“Whether it is a research project or a clinic affected, we run the risk of further transmission.

“People will die directly due to the cut in American funding.”

It is not only TB clinics that are at risk, but provide care for people living with HIV.

This work is performed by most non-governmental organizations, NGOs, which provide important anti-retroviral drugs that can press the amount of HIV in the blood to undesirable levels, which help others to prevent sexual transmission Does.

Dr. Wingfield says that if treatment is interrupted, serious problems may occur.

“People with controlled HIV, if they remember the med, increases the virus in their blood and there is a risk of further transmission.

“There is a risk of undoing all progress to date.”

Frontline AIDS is a UK and South Africa -based organization that works with 60 partners in 100 countries.

More than 20 of his partners have said that they are affected by American foreign aid freeze.

Around the freeze and subsequent discounts, communication caused the “deep confusion”, the organization told the BBC.

Many partners have had to suspend HIV care, treatment and prevention to weaker children and adults.

John Plesto, Executive Director of Frontline AIDS, said, “Majority remains in Limbo and it is having a terrible effect on communities and organizations.”

It has been reported that an organization in Uganda has stated that it will run out of its HIV test kits, TB medicines and condoms in a month, which is funded for the AIDS relief program for most USAID President’s Emergency Plan.

In South Africa, a large number of HIV services have been closed. Some provide aftercare and emergency contraceptives for women and girls who have been raped.

Prof. Peter Taylor, director of International Development Studies at Sussex University, said that one of the biggest issues with freeze was the erosion of a trust.

“Stopping things suddenly reduces people’s trust. People are shocked and angry,” he said.

“Reducing the basic trust is the real cost and is being extended to many situations worldwide.

“It is very harmful to American global reputation.”

The USAID provides funds for important international clinical drug tests, which Professor Thomas Zaki, leader of the MRC Biostatistics unit at Cambridge University, may still be unsafe.

“Unfortunately, there are lots of tests that are immediately affected by USAID freeze – in case of both running tests, but also the tests that are in the set -up and are planning to start soon.”

He said that he was “convinced” American funding freeze “will affect the development of treatment”, to an extent where exciting new remedies have been delayed for years or even sacrifice.

“Clearly the effects in areas such as malaria and HIV will be particularly more because a notable part of the research in these areas is funded through this route,” said Prof. Zaki.

Professor of International Law, Conflict and Global Development Prof. Freedman said that USAID provides up to 40% of the world’s development aid, which also covers health as well as education and developing economic prosperity.

But the health program is the place where the effect of a funding freeze – if it is long or permanent – is the most likely to be felt the most curious in the coming months, she warns.

“This will be due to the prevention of vaccines to be partially distributed by USAID or funded.

“This may mean preventive diseases, which we thought in it or even erased, may re -appear or may deteriorate, such as cholera and malaria. “

Professor Freedman said that this may increase healthcare problems worldwide.

“Looking at the globalized and interdependent nature of our planet, the concern will be that these diseases can spread quickly and far.”