Lifesaving health initiatives and medical research projects have been disrupted globally due to a 90-day pause on foreign aid and stop-work orders issued by the Trump administration.
In Uganda, the National Malaria Control Program has halted spraying insecticide in homes and suspended the distribution of bed nets to vulnerable populations, according to Dr. Jimmy Opigo, the program's director.
Essential medical supplies, including treatments for pregnant women experiencing hemorrhages and rehydration salts for children suffering from diarrhea, are unable to reach villages in Zambia. This is because contractors receiving payments through a suspended project by the United States Agency for International Development (U.S.A.I.D.) can no longer operate.
Clinical trials across South Asia, Africa, and Latin America have been put on hold. Thousands of participants no longer have access to necessary treatments or the researchers overseeing their care.
More than 20 researchers and program managers described the turmoil in health systems throughout developing countries during interviews, often requesting anonymity due to fears about project safety. Many expressed their distress over the potential loss of decades of work.
The disrupted programs have provided critical frontline care for infectious diseases, contributing significantly to the prevention of deaths from AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria, and others. These initiatives also enhanced the United States' image in regions where Chinese influence has been growing.
The State Department and U.S.A.I.D. did not respond to requests for comments on the situation.
No one is currently available to receive millions of dollars' worth of supplies meant for vital oxygen systems intended for health clinics in impoverished nations. Although shipments are in transit, program employees have been instructed to cease work.
On Tuesday night, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced an exemption to the funding freeze for "lifesaving humanitarian assistance," including core medication. However, previously suspended H.I.V. and tuberculosis treatment programs have been informed that they cannot resume until they receive confirmation that the waiver applies to them specifically.
A federal judge temporarily blocked the freeze until February 3. However, U.S.A.I.D. offices and programs continue operating as if the freeze is still in effect, facing confusion over the status of their operations since assigned contacts have been let go or instructed to remain silent.
Thousands have already lost their jobs due to the funding freeze, including about 500 U.S.-based U.S.A.I.D. employees and over a thousand workers from the International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research in Bangladesh.
If the waiver does not pertain to their programs—a likely scenario—many nonprofit organizations will struggle to sustain employee wages and supplies. Groups dependent on U.S.A.I.D. funding are unable to access funds for even prior expenses.
Two-thirds of the President’s Malaria Initiative staff, which serves as a principal donor for malaria programs, have been dismissed. The contract workers let go were among the most experienced scientists in malaria control.
The pause in H.I.V. treatment has elicited public concern, while the interruption of malaria initiatives also poses immediate risks to lives, as noted by a former senior scientist at the President’s Malaria Initiative.
Malaria prevention efforts are meticulously scheduled around seasonal patterns, with interventions timed for maximum effectiveness. The repercussions of this freeze could lead to increased child mortality rates, as previous preventative efforts have decreased significantly.
In Myanmar, malaria drug shipments have been halted amid a surge in cases, yet some organizations lack staff to distribute these medicines. Similarly, 2.4 million anti-malaria bed nets are trapped in production due to the funding freeze, with additional contracts now stalled.
The largest U.S.A.I.D. project focused on global health supply chains has had its operations reduced, limiting activities to safeguarding supplies in storage instead of active distribution.
In Zambia, U.S.A.I.D.-supported distribution services, crucial for moving medical supplies to health centers, have been effectively paralyzed since the stop-work order was issued. This abrupt cessation has raised severe concerns over public health initiatives across several African nations.
Researchers in East Africa conducting H.I.V. trials face ethical dilemmas, as participants have already received treatments that now cannot be continued due to the suspension.