Funding cuts to tuberculosis (TB) programs are putting millions at risk, particularly in 18 high-burden countries, with Africa being the worst affected, followed by South-East Asia and the Western Pacific, the World Health Organization (WHO) warned on 6th of March.
The decision by the Trump administration to pause U.S. foreign aid threatens to reverse progress in combating TB across low- and middle-income countries, WHO stated. Tereza Kasaeva, director of WHO’s Global Programme on TB and Lung Health, stressed the urgency of the situation, saying that without immediate action, years of progress could be lost. She called for a rapid, well-planned, and adequately funded response to protect vulnerable populations.
U.S. aid, particularly from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), has played a crucial role in global TB control, preventing approximately 3.65 million deaths last year alone. Historically, the U.S. has contributed about a quarter of total international donor funding for TB programs, providing between $200 million and $250 million annually. However, USAID has now suspended all its funded research trials, significantly slowing TB research and development efforts.
The funding shortfall is already straining essential TB services in affected countries, disrupting testing and monitoring programs, interrupting drug supply chains, and leading to the loss of thousands of health worker jobs.
In a development that may offer some relief, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled on 5th of March that the Trump administration could not withhold payments to foreign aid organizations for services they have already provided to the government.
