U.S. WHO exit jeopardizes Africa, says well being physique

DAKAR (Reuters) – The U.S. plan to withdraw from the World Well being Group will squeeze Africa’s well being initiatives, the Africa Centres for Illness Management and Prevention stated on Thursday, calling on African international locations to seek out various sources of financing.

U.S. President Donald Trump signed an government order on the WHO exit on Monday, shortly after his inauguration to a second time period.

The issues raised by Africa’s main public well being officers are an indication of the potential impression of the U.S. determination on the U.N. company’s skill to struggle illnesses and reply to emergencies around the globe with out its largest funder.

Africa CDC senior official Ngashi Ngongo stated many international locations had been counting on U.S. funding by way of the WHO to fund public well being drives.

“We all know the position that the WHO has performed on the continent… to actually enhance the supply of well being programmes,” Ngongo advised a media briefing.

“The discount or the chopping of (U.S.) funding is unquestionably going to have an effect on the response.

“It’s time for among the African member states to rethink the financing of public well being.”

Zimbabwe’s finance minister on Wednesday expressed concern that the U.S. withdrawal might sign cuts in well being help to international locations similar to his which can be most affected by HIV/AIDS.

Ngongo stated as soon as Africa CDC takes inventory of the state of affairs, it’d discover funding alternatives with different non-African international locations to compensate for the anticipated fall in WHO assist.

Whereas Ngongo doesn’t count on Trump’s order to have a big effect on Africa CDC, he expressed concern a joint motion plan the well being physique had been growing with the U.S. authorities over the previous 12 months might additionally now be in danger.