Health

Health Programs Shutter Around the World After Trump Pauses Foreign Aid

Published

11 months ago

February 1, 2025

Health Programs Shutter Around the World After Trump Pauses Foreign Aid

Lifesaving health initiatives and medical research projects have shut down around the world in response to the Trump administration’s 90-day pause on foreign aid and stop-work orders.

In Uganda, the National Malaria Control Program has suspended spraying insecticide into village homes and ceased shipments of bed nets for distribution to pregnant women and young children, said Dr. Jimmy Opigo, the program’s director.

Medical supplies, including drugs to stop hemorrhages in pregnant women and rehydration salts that treat life-threatening diarrhea in toddlers, cannot reach villages in Zambia because the trucking companies transporting them were paid through a suspended supply project of the United States Agency for International Development, U.S.A.I.D.

Dozens of clinical trials in South Asia, Africa and Latin America have been suspended. Thousands of people enrolled in the studies have drugs, vaccines and medical devices in their bodies but no longer have access to continuing treatment or to the researchers who were supervising their care.

In interviews, more than 20 researchers and program managers described the upheaval in health systems in countries across the developing world. Most agreed to be interviewed on the condition that their names not be published, fearing that speaking to a reporter would jeopardize any possibility that their projects might be able to reopen.

Many of those interviewed broke down in tears as they described the rapid destruction of decades of work.

The programs that have frozen or folded over the past six days supported frontline care for infectious disease, providing treatments and preventive measures that help avert millions of deaths from AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria and other diseases. They also presented a compassionate, generous image of the United States in countries where China has increasingly competed for influence.

The State Department and U.S.A.I.D. did not respond to requests for comment.

There will now be no one to take custody of millions of dollars’ worth of supplies for vital oxygen systems, purchased for programs funded by U.S.A.I.D. that support health clinics in some of the world’s poorest countries. The shipments, now in transit, are scheduled to reach ports in the coming days, but employees of those programs have been ordered to stop work.

On Tuesday night, Secretary of State Marco Rubio issued an exemption to the funding freeze for “lifesaving humanitarian assistance,” including what a State Department memo called “core lifesaving medicine.” However, shuttered H.I.V. and tuberculosis treatment programs have been told by their contacts at U.S.A.I.D. that they cannot resume work until they receive written instruction that the waiver applies specifically to them.

Also on Tuesday, a federal judge blocked the freeze until Feb. 3. But in practice, most U.S.A.I.D. country offices and programs are proceeding as if the freeze remains in place.

They have been unable to obtain clarification on whether and when their work can continue because their assigned contacts at U.S.A.I.D. have either been fired or furloughed, or are under strict instructions to not talk to anyone.

Despite the court order, thousands of people have already lost their jobs as a result of the freeze. About 500 U.S.-based employees of U.S.A.I.D. were fired. In countries from India to Zimbabwe, staff members for health projects were immediately fired. An organization called the International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh, which does research on a top killer of children, laid off more than 1,000 employees this week.

If the waiver announced by Mr. Rubio does not apply to their work — as is likely because it is expected to exempt only a narrow scope of activities — many nonprofit groups will not have enough funds to pay their employees or maintain supplies. Already, organizations that rely on U.S.A.I.D. funds have not been able access any money, even for reimbursement of expenses already incurred.

Two-thirds of the staff of the President’s Malaria Initiative, an organization founded by former President George W. Bush that is the largest donor to anti-malaria programs and research worldwide, have been fired. Those employees were contract staff members, because the agency had longtime hiring freezes for permanent positions, and included some of the most senior and respected scientists working on malaria control in the world.

While the interruption of H.I.V. treatment has prompted an outcry, the suspension of malaria work also immediately jeopardizes lives, said a scientist who was a senior staff member at the President’s Malaria Initiative for a decade and was fired on Tuesday.

Malaria interventions in Africa are carefully planned around rainy seasons, the time of which varies by region. Houses are sprayed with insecticide, and children are treated with an antimalarial medication during peak malaria transmission times.

“You could open the funding floodgates again tomorrow and you will still have children dying months from now because of this pause,” the scientist said.

More than 50 million children received preventative drugs before the rainy season last year.

The delivery of rapid tests and malaria drugs into Myanmar, where cases of malaria increased nearly tenfold to 850,000 in 2023 (the most recent figures available) from 78,000 in 2019, has been frozen. Some organizations now have no workers left to distribute the supplies even if they were to arrive.

In some parts of the country, more than 40 percent of cases are of a type of malaria that is often deadly in children under the age of 5. Malaria drugs would seem to qualify under the stipulation of “lifesaving humanitarian assistance, including essential medicines” included in the waiver, but in the absence of certainty, no one has been bold enough to try to free the drugs now stuck at the Thai border.

Some 2.4 million anti-malaria bed nets are sitting in production facilities in Asia, manufactured to fulfill U.S.-funded orders and bound for countries across sub-Saharan Africa. Those contracts are now frozen, because the U.S.A.I.D. subcontractor that bought them is not allowed to talk to the manufacturer under the terms of the freeze. Contracts for eight million more nets are now in limbo, an executive with the manufacturer said.

U.S.A.I.D.’s largest project is called the global health supply chain, an effort to streamline procurement of supplies for H.I.V., malaria, maternal health and other key areas, to make the system more efficient and save money. It operates in more than 55 countries where, in many cases, it supplies the bulk of key medicines. Now its global web of staff has been ordered to stop work except for essential tasks, like guarding commodities in warehouses.

In Zambia, U.S.A.I.D. supports the bulk distribution of public health products, using the private trucking industry to move medicines from a central supply depot to seven regional hubs, from which they are taken by truck, motorbike and boat to rural health centers. It’s part of the extensive U.S. support of the health system in Zambia, one of the world’s poorest countries, and over time it has been working to build up the supply chain capacity of the government.

Since the stop-work order was issued last Saturday, all of the vehicles transporting health products have been stopped. “They have effectively paralyzed the Zambian public health sector by pulling out so abruptly,” said one consultant who worked with the program. Similar U.S.-funded systems, now frozen, also moved a major share of basic medical supplies in Mozambique, Nigeria, Malawi and Haiti.

In East Africa, medical researchers working on projects to find ways to stop transmission of H.I.V. and develop more effective contraception have found themselves floundering for explanations to give to participants in their clinical trials.

“We have women testing vaginal rings, they already have the rings in them, people who got an injectable for H.I.V. prevention — when you say ‘stop,’ what happens to them?” said an H.I.V. researcher who is an investigator on a number of clinical trials. “We have an ethical obligation to people who volunteer for trials.”

Apoorva Mandavilli contributed reporting.

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Health

Common household chemicals linked to increased risk of serious neurological condition

Published

8 hours ago

December 23, 2025

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Common household chemicals linked to increased risk of serious neurological condition

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A study from Sweden’s Uppsala University discovered a link between microplastics and multiple sclerosis (MS).

The research, published in the journal Environmental International, discovered that exposure to two common environmental contaminants, PFAS and PCBs, could increase the risk of the autoimmune disease.

PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, known as “forever chemicals,” are used in some common household products, such as non-stick cookware, textiles and cleaning products. They have also been found in drinking water throughout the U.S., according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

COMMON CLEANING CHEMICAL TIED TO SPIKE IN LIVER DISEASE ACROSS US, RESEARCHERS SAY

PCBs, or polychlorinated biphenyls, are toxic industrial chemicals once widely used in electrical equipment before being banned decades ago, as stated by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences.

The new study findings were based on blood samples of 1,800 Swedish individuals, including about 900 who had recently been diagnosed with MS, according to a university press release.

PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, known as “forever chemicals,” are used in some common household products, including non-stick cookware. (iStock)

The first phase of the trial studied 14 different PFAS contaminants and three substances that appear when PCBs are broken down in the body. These were then investigated for a link to the odds of diagnosis.

‘FOREVER CHEMICALS’ FOUND IN US DRINKING WATER, MAP SHOWS ‘HOT SPOTS’ OF HIGHEST LEVELS

“We saw that several individual substances, such as PFOS and two hydroxylated PCBs, were linked to increased odds for MS,” lead study author Kim Kultima said in a statement. “People with the highest concentrations of PFOS and PCBs had approximately twice the odds of being diagnosed with MS, compared to those with the lowest concentrations.”

The researchers then examined the combined effects of these substances and found that the mixture was also linked to increased risk.

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Fellow researcher Aina Vaivade noted that risk assessments should consider chemical mixtures, not just individual exposures, because people are typically exposed to multiple substances at the same time.

“We saw that several individual substances, such as PFOS and two hydroxylated PCBs, were linked to increased odds for MS,” the lead study author said. (iStock)

The final phase of the study investigated the relationship between inheritance, chemical exposure and the odds of MS diagnosis, revealing that those who carry a certain gene variant actually have a reduced MS risk.

However, individuals who carried the gene and had higher exposure to PFOS — a singular type of chemical in the PFAS family — had an “unexpected” increased risk of MS.

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“This indicates that there is a complex interaction between inheritance and environmental exposure linked to the odds of MS,” Kultima said.

“We therefore think it is important to understand how environmental contaminants interact with hereditary factors, as this can provide new knowledge about the genesis of MS and could also be relevant for other diseases.”

Multiple sclerosis is a disease that leads to the breakdown of the protective covering of the nerves, according to Mayo Clinic. (iStock)

Fox News senior medical analyst Dr. Marc Siegel commented on these findings in an interview with Fox News Digital.

“MS is a complex disease that is somewhat autoimmune and somewhat post-inflammatory,” said Siegel, who was not involved in the study. “Epstein-Barr virus infection greatly increases the risk of MS.”

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“There is every reason to believe that environmental triggers play a role, including microplastics, and this important study shows a correlation, but not causation — in other words, it doesn’t prove that the microplastics caused MS.”

The study had some limitations, the researchers acknowledged, including that the chemical exposure was measured only once, at the time of blood sampling. This means it may not accurately represent participants’ long-term or past exposure levels relevant to MS development.

“There is every reason to believe that environmental triggers play a role.”

Fox News Digital reached out to several industry groups and manufacturers requesting comment on the potential link between PFAS chemicals and multiple sclerosis.

Several have issued public statements, including the American Chemistry Council, which states on its website that “manufacturers and many users of today’s PFAS are implementing a variety of practices and technologies to help minimize environmental emissions.”

In April 2024, the EPA enacted a new federal rule that sets mandatory limits on certain PFAS chemicals in drinking water, aiming to reduce exposure. The agency also aims to fund testing and treatment efforts.

A woman working out outdoors takes a sip of water from a plastic bottle. (iStock)

Multiple sclerosis is a disease that leads to the breakdown of the protective coverings that surround nerve fibers, according to Mayo Clinic.

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The immune system’s attack on these nerve sheaths can cause numbness, weakness, trouble walking and moving, vision changes and other symptoms, and can lead to permanent damage.

There is currently no cure for MS, Mayo Clinic reports, but treatment is available to manage symptoms and modify the course of the disease.

Angelica Stabile is a lifestyle reporter for Fox News Digital.

Health

Natural Ozempic? 6 GLP-1 Foods That Work Just Like the Shot

Published

19 hours ago

December 22, 2025

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Natural Ozempic? 6 GLP-1 Foods That Work Just Like the Shot

6 GLP-1 Foods That Boost Weight Loss Naturally—No Injections Needed | Woman’s World

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Health

Simple daily habit could help people with type 2 diabetes manage blood sugar

Published

20 hours ago

December 22, 2025

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Simple daily habit could help people with type 2 diabetes manage blood sugar

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Sitting next to a window may help people with type 2 diabetes control their insulin levels, according to new research.

The study, published in Cell Metabolism, found that exposure to natural light — even indoors next to a window — changes how the body processes glucose and uses energy.

People in Western societies spend 80% to 90% of their time under artificial lights, which are much dimmer and less dynamic than sunlight, the researchers noted. Natural daylight is a powerful cue for the body’s internal clock, also known as the circadian rhythm.

EXPERTS REVEAL EXACT BEDTIME THAT COULD PREVENT LATE-NIGHT ‘SECOND WIND’ INSOMNIA

The body’s internal clock influences many processes, including digestion, hormone release and metabolism, according to research. When it gets out of sync, it can worsen insulin resistance and blood sugar control, which are two of the main issues caused by type 2 diabetes.

Typical lighting in homes and offices is much dimmer and lacks the biological signals provided by natural daylight. (iStock)

To test the effects of daylight on blood sugar, scientists recruited 13 adults with type 2 diabetes. Each person spent two separate 4.5-day periods in a controlled office setting, according to a press release.

DIABETES PREVENTION LINKED TO SPECIFIC TYPE OF EXERCISE, STUDY SHOWS

In one period, they worked in front of large windows with natural daylight streaming in. In the other period, participants worked in the same room with the windows covered and were exposed only to typical indoor lighting.

Daylight isn’t a replacement for medication or traditional management strategies like diet and exercise, the researchers noted.

Everyone ate similar meals, followed the same schedule and continued their usual diabetes medications in both conditions.

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While average blood sugar levels didn’t differ drastically between the two conditions, people spent more time in the healthy glucose range when they were exposed to natural daylight — their blood sugar fluctuated less and stayed within a desirable range for a greater portion of the day.

Participants who were exposed to daylight burned more fat and fewer carbohydrates, a metabolic pattern linked to better blood sugar regulation. (iStock)

Exposure to natural light also affected metabolism. In daylight, participants burned more fat and fewer carbohydrates for energy.

Muscle biopsies and laboratory tests further showed that the genes responsible for the body’s cellular clocks were more synchronized under natural light conditions, the study revealed.

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Better alignment of these genes can improve nutrient processing and how cells respond to insulin, the researchers concluded.

Sitting near windows or spending more time outdoors could support diabetes management alongside standard treatments, researchers say. (iStock)

However, daylight isn’t a replacement for medication or traditional management strategies like diet and exercise, according to the team.

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The study did have some limitations, including that the group of patients was small. The researchers cautioned that larger studies are needed to confirm these results and determine how much natural light exposure is optimal.

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“This study also highlights the often unnoticed impact of the built environment on our health, and raises further concerns about the prevalence of office environments with poor (natural) daylight access,” the researchers noted.

Khloe Quill is a lifestyle production assistant with Fox News Digital. She and the lifestyle team cover a range of story topics including food and drink, travel, and health.