WHO Chief Warns US Funding Cuts Threaten Global Health Efforts

ANS: World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has raised alarms over the impact of recent US funding cuts, warning they could significantly disrupt global health initiatives and threaten public health worldwide.

During a media briefing on Wednesday, Tedros highlighted the immediate consequences of these funding suspensions, including disruptions to HIV treatment, setbacks in the fight against polio, and limited resources for responding to the mpox epidemic in Africa. He specifically pointed to the suspension of funding for the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), which halted HIV treatment, testing, and prevention services in 50 countries. Despite a waiver for life-saving services, prevention programs for high-risk groups have been excluded, clinics have been shut down, and health workers have been placed on leave.

Tedros called on the US Government to reconsider its funding cuts, urging them to find alternative solutions to maintain essential health services globally.

The WHO also provided updates on the recent Ebola outbreak in Uganda, which has resulted in nine confirmed cases, including one death. Emergency teams have been deployed, and a vaccine trial has already begun, with plans for a therapeutics trial awaiting approval. To support these efforts, WHO has allocated an additional $2 million from its Contingency Fund for Emergencies, in addition to the $1 million already provided.

The ongoing humanitarian crisis in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has further strained health services, with over 900 deaths and more than 4,000 injuries reported amid increasing violence in the region. WHO reports that only one-third of the people in need of health services in North and South Kivu are able to access care, with critical shortages of supplies like medicines and fuel hindering their response.

On a positive note, WHO announced progress in expanding access to childhood cancer treatments in low- and middle-income countries. As part of the Global Initiative on Childhood Cancer, shipments of childhood cancer medicines have been distributed for free to Mongolia and Uzbekistan, with plans for four more countries. The initiative aims to reach 120,000 children across 50 countries over the next five to seven years, addressing the stark disparities in cancer survival rates between high-income and low-income nations.