Global Health Groups, Governments Work Together To Fight Infectious Diseases Following US Aid Freeze

Reuters (3/11, Rigby, Ross, Peyton, Phiri, Adombila) reports that countries and “global health groups are working to try to fill the most urgent gaps in the fight against diseases such as malaria and HIV, including sharing tests and treatments internationally, after the U.S. government froze foreign aid funding.” The Trump Administration “said this week it has cut more than 80% of programs, which health groups say threatens efforts to tackle deadly diseases across the globe.” The World Health Organization and other groups have “said they are working with countries to fill gaps in HIV testing and treatment, in a similar way to during the COVID pandemic when countries shared resources to prevent shortages.” In addition, “some governments, such as Kenya and Malawi, have moved staff and are discussing emergency financing, but the funds are limited and staff are not necessarily trained in the disease areas they have been deployed to, experts said.”