By Rodney Muhumuza
Aid cuts by the United States are hurting Africa’s 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’s meeting with African health ministers will “discuss recent developments in global health financing” and where more sustainable funding might come from.
Kaseya spoke of a “new era” in health financing after U.S. aid cuts 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 malaria to AIDS.
Much of the funding to the Africa CDC and regional governments was lost with the Trump administration’s decision to terminate most foreign aid contracts and cut $60 billion in overall
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