US aid cuts endanger the malaria progress

US aid cuts endanger the malaria progress

Abuja, Nigeria - Roads In the Malaria programs financed by the USA, the already difficult situation for the Congolese mother Mwayse Idi Feza, whose city Goma at the center of increasing conflicts and is controlled by a brutal militia.

"I have a sick child. He has had malaria for more than a week," reported 36-year-old Feza CNN about her one-year-old son, whose fever may be attributed to the illness transferred by mosquitoes. She also has symptoms of the disease herself, added: "I feel cold. My mouth feels bitter." The single mother is unemployed and can hardly afford food, let alone the malaria treatment for herself and her child.

The dangers of malaria

malaria is a contraceable and curable disease, but it demands hundreds of thousands of lives worldwide every year. In particular, infants, children under the age of five and pregnant women are most at risk of dying from a malaria infection.

she is a of the main causes for deaths in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), which according to Nigeria has the second highest malariator load in the world, according to the world health organization (Who). In 2022 it was estimated that, for example, 24,000 people Central African country died, more than half of them were children under the age of five.

US aid cuts and their consequences

Since the Trump administration reduced the foreign subsidies drastically at the beginning of the year, estimated 36 % of the US agency for international development (USA) for malaria programs, reports the Center for Global Development, a Washington d.C. based Think tank. But the true extent of the auxiliary cuts remains uncertain .

In the DRC, these funds financed the provision of antimalaria funds for "many health regions" in the country, including intermittent preventive treatments for pregnant women Women , according to Michel Itabu, a former spokesman for the country's National Malaria Control Program (PNLP), which specializes in combating the malaria. "The PNLP already feels the effects of the cuts," said Itabu to Cnn.

long -term dangers from help abbreviations

The US government was the biggest encoder for the global efforts to combat malaria for a long time. For decades, USAID led an Initiative called Presidential Malaria Program (PMI), which should reduce mortality and combat malaria in 30 of the most affected countries, mainly in Africa. The program, launched in 2005 by George W. Bush, helped to reduce malariatodesfalls by more than 60 % and thus save millions.

With the latest dismissals among the PMI employees, many former auxiliary workers emphasize that the disorders in the malaria first-person measures and their treatment will have a short-term fatal consequences. In the long term, they warn, the medium cancellations would make the progress of years.

The effects on local health systems

The surveillance systems that once formed the backbone of the efforts to monitor malaria and other outbreaks of illness worldwide were also shortened, reported former US government agents. "One of the main causes that we do not have malaria in the USA is that we support and pursue the disease financially worldwide to ensure global health security," said a former USAID contractor who wanted to remain anonymous.

he warned that local malaria favors, such as those who occurred in Florida in 2023, could become more common, "if we do not finance the efforts to combat parasites in other places." Auxiliary workers and non-profit organizations always argue that the malaria programs and US disease monitoring make America "safer, stronger and more wealthy".

investments in the future

A clear message is that USAI and the US military have long been investing in research into malaria vaccines in order to reduce both the global burden of illness and protect US soldiers abroad. Competitors such as China and Iran could gain influence in Africa if the United States reduces support.

The WHO warned in a statement that the funding cuts could "reverse progress for decades, some of which were achieved thanks to many years of investments by the United States and other global partners". The US state department did not respond to inquiries from CNN how the stop work commands will affect the malaria programs.

FAZIT

The current cuts in the aid area occur at an extremely unfavorable time because Malaria is seasonal. Interruptions during seasonal weddings could bring considerable setbacks. The affected countries, such as Malawi, are already faced with an increasing number of malaria cases, while global aid decreases and nationally insufficient means are provided. This is a risk for the health and future of well -deserved communities in these regions.