WHO warns that US funding cuts threaten global health
12/2/2025: The World Health Organization's Director-General, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, has urged the US Government to reconsider its funding suspension. He points to disruptions to HIV treatment, setbacks in polio eradication and limited resources for responding to mpox epidemics in Africa.
Source: UN News
Confusion, fear as PEPFAR partners suspend HIV services
30/1/2025: Hundreds of service providers in sub-Saharan Africa and across other countries that are supported by the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief have been ordered to stop their work, as a consequence of Trump’s executive order pausing foreign development assistance for 90 days.. Any interruption of lifesaving antiretroviral drugs is dangerous for people who are living with HIV.
Source: Devex
How Africa may lose from US leaving World Health Organization
29/1/2025: President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw the US from the World Health Organization will be keenly felt across the globe, with profound implications for health in Africa - where increases in mortality and morbidity could be a consequence of closed programmes.
Source: The Conversation
WHO comments on US announcement of intent to withdraw
21/1/2025: The World Health Organization regrets the announcement that the US intends to withdraw from the Organization. The US was a founding member of WHO in 1948 and has participated in shaping and governing WHO’s work ever since. WHO plays a crucial role in protecting the health and security of the world’s people, including Americans.
Source: World Health Organization
The next US administration can end HIV worldwide
9/1/2025: The first Donald Trump administration committed to end the HIV epidemic in the US by 2030. If his next administration extended this to a global goal, the legacy could rank among the most important American public health achievements. Despite significant progress, HIV/AIDS claimed over 630,000 lives and there were 1.3 million new infections in 2023 alone.
Source: Devex
Global efforts needed to curb rising malaria threat
11/12/2024: According to the World Health Organization’s latest World malaria report, there were an estimated 263 million cases and 597 000 malaria deaths worldwide in 2023, representing little change over 2022. Approximately 95% of the deaths occurred in the African Region.
Source: World Health Organization
Big Pharma not moving fast enough to deliver access
19/11/2024: The latest version of the Access to Medicine Index ranks 20 of the world’s leading pharmaceutical companies based on how they prioritize access to people in low- and middle-income countries. It finds that while efforts to improve access have accelerated, companies are still not moving fast enough.
Source: Devex
World Health Organization presses for funding despite Trump 2.0
18/11/2024: World Health Organizatino officials expect to secure at least half of its $7.1 billion fundraising target — for its work in the next four years — during the G20 summit in Brazil. The agency hopes to sustain its US partnerships despite concerns that, during Donald Trump’s first presidential term, he initiated a US withdrawal from the WHO.
Source: Devex
Fears for spread of malaria in Africa through antimicrobial resistance
14/11/2024: Researchers have found that a lifesaving malaria drug is becoming less effective in young African children with serious infections. Antimicrobial resistance is a growing global concern.
Source: The Guardian
How do we defeat malaria in Africa and spur development?
30/05/2024: The first two decades of the 21st century were a golden era for malaria control. However, progress has slowed since 2015 and in 2022 Africa accounted for 94% of malaria cases (233 million) globally. History shows that malaria can quickly resurge when control measures are weakened and African countries will continue to depend on global financial support.
Source: Devex