KAMPALA, Uganda (AP) 鈥 Aid cuts by the United States are hurting Africa鈥檚 capacity to respond to disease outbreaks, the head of the continent's public health agency said Thursday, ahead of a meeting with regional health ministers to discuss other financing options.
Jean Kaseya, director-general of the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or Africa CDC, told reporters that Friday鈥檚 meeting with African health ministers will 鈥渄iscuss recent developments in global health financing鈥 and where more sustainable funding might come from.
Kaseya spoke of a 鈥渘ew era鈥 in health financing after that have left health systems in Africa in disarray. The aid cuts, which affect governments and their partners in the non-governmental sector, have shut down or disrupted projects tackling diseases ranging from to .
Much of the funding to the and regional governments was lost with the Trump administration鈥檚 decision to in overall U.S. assistance abroad. Many of the affected programs are in fragile countries that are highly reliant on U.S. aid to support health systems, nutrition programs and stave off starvation.
Kaseya cited the immediate impact in Congo, which is the epicenter outbreaks in Africa and where aid cuts and insecurity in the country鈥檚 east have contributed to challenges in as well as securing enough vaccine doses.
Aid cuts have impeded the collection and transportation of samples in Congo, Kaseya said.
鈥淲e know this aid cut is a difficult moment for our countries, and it came overnight,鈥 he said. 鈥淪ome of them were not prepared for this major aid cut.鈥
The U.S. aid cuts affecting the response to outbreaks of mpox, and other diseases are the latest in a trend of declining monetary support by international partners over the years, he warned.
鈥淲e are not just talking about the U.S.,鈥 he said. 鈥淲e are saying almost all Western countries are decreasing their support. And that one is a critical issue for our health security.鈥
Kaseya said the Africa CDC and the World Bank are discussing possible 鈥渢ransitional鈥 funding in the aftermath of U.S. aid cuts.
