The Shutdown of Usa.i.d. Has Killed Thousands
6 days ago
- #global health
- #public policy
- #foreign aid
- The author reflects on their final days at U.S.A.I.D. before the Trump Administration took office, highlighting the agency's achievements in global health.
- U.S.A.I.D. had saved millions of lives, including through disease containment, health system support in Ukraine, and combating HIV, tuberculosis, and polio.
- An executive order by President Trump halted all foreign assistance, leading to immediate suspension of programs, staff purges, and dismantling of U.S.A.I.D.
- The dismantling of U.S.A.I.D. has caused an estimated 600,000 deaths, with two-thirds being children, according to a conservative epidemiological model.
- Deaths from the aid withdrawal are harder to track due to their slow and scattered nature, unlike the immediate visibility of war casualties.
- The Trump Administration denied causing widespread harm and obstructed data monitoring, making it difficult to measure the full impact.
- The author documents the effects of U.S.A.I.D.'s shutdown in Kenya, focusing on communities that previously benefited from malnutrition programs.
- Childhood malnutrition programs had drastically reduced mortality rates globally, but their termination is reversing these gains.
- In Kakuma refugee camp, reduced aid has led to a surge in acute malnutrition cases and the layoff of community health workers.
- Despite criticisms of U.S.A.I.D., it was highly effective in saving lives and reducing poverty, with no other U.S. agency matching its impact per dollar.
- The destruction of U.S.A.I.D. represents a shift from cooperation to public man-made death, with expanding consequences for public health.