As administration cuts off resources from African countries to contain outbreak, workers say ‘everybody’s lost’As the Trump administration dismantles the US Agency for International Development (USAid) and retreats from funding global public health efforts, mpox – formerly known as monkeypox – is at greater risk of becoming a wider global emergency, according to aid workers and global health experts.“It’s a real mistake not to be doing everything we can to control this while we’re still able to,” said Stephen Morse, a professor of epidemiology at Columbia University focusing on risk assessment of infectious diseases. “Taking huge steps backwards is only going to make everything worse.” Continue reading...
The Trump administration's dismantling of USAid has raised concerns about a potential mpox global emergency. USAid had been instrumental in controlling the virus through vaccination and testing, but funding has been frozen, and workers evacuated, leaving some provinces without resources. Experts warn this increases the risk of a global emergency, as the US withdrawal from the WHO exacerbates the situation. The 2022 mpox outbreak, which affected 122 countries, highlights the potential severity, with the current DRC outbreak involving a distinct variant.
