Senior officials from the Africa Centers for Disease Control are convening in Washington D.C., the capital of the United States, to explore potential collaborations between the U.S. government and the pan-African health organization, particularly in view of recent developments. budget reductions implemented by President Donald Trump’s administration .
"The transformation presents itself as an opportunity," stated Ngashi Ngongo, who leads the Africa CDC Incident Management team in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Ngongo made these remarks during an online press conference held last Thursday, which aimed to provide insights into the current state of the mpox virus within the area.
Ngongo stated that the negotiations, following comparable conversations with countries from Europe, were essential to adapt to the swiftly evolving worldwide landscape. He alluded to the halt and eventual elimination of more than 80% of U.S. foreign assistance initiatives overseen by USAID—the principal American governmental body for international development support—as part of the new administration’s plan to “restructure” these operations.
"The 5,200 contracts that have been canceled wasted tens of billions of dollars in a manner that failed to support the essential national interests of the United States," stated U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio. said in March , with the remaining 1,000 programs now being managed "more efficiently" through the State Department.
The scrapping of the programs will affect life-saving aid for disease prevention and the mitigation of extreme hunger. Several African countries with a fifth of their assistance coming from USAID, including South Sudan, Somalia, Democratic Republic of Congo, and Liberia, will be particularly "exposed", according to the Center For Global Development (CGD). "In Liberia, basic health is the main sector while in Uganda it is population and reproductive health," the CGD report said.
Ngongo said the funding move was preceded by a decline of Official Development Assistance, "with 30% of overall health expenditure in the region coming from foreign aid". The increasing need to service debt, he said, also affected investment in the health sector.
The Africa CDC official said only two African countries met their obligation under the Abuja declaration, which calls on countries in 2001 to allocate 15 percent of national healthcare budgets should be allocated to address growing health issues. . He said the regional health body is urging governments to pursue new strategies to address their health needs - including aggressive domestic resource mobilization and the introduction of health insurance - while also calling for the "optimal use" of limited resources and the curbing of corruption.
The continental health watchdog said it's moving into the "intensification phase" of its fight against the virus, with the hope of getting it under control in the coming months.
Over 3,000 cases were reported during the 11-week period, with over 900 cases being confirmed. These figures indicate a rise compared to the prior week's statistics.
Uganda, Burundi, and DR Congo together make up over 90 percent of the cases, indicating according to Ngongo that this represents "continuous spread within communities."
Provided by Syndigate Media Inc. ( Syndigate.info ).
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