The new America First Global Health Strategy goes back to the future
Meaning, the strategy is a seriously regressive one
@tombollyky.bsky.social
www.thelancet.com/journals/lan...
"The new America First Global Health Strategy"
Check out the lede
Yet "The world still faces dire health threats that countries
cannot fight alone"
www.thelancet.com/journals/lan... @thelancet.com by @tombollyky.bsky.social
Secretary Kennedy’s Senate hearing illustrated that the United States’ scientific reputation—long considered a global gold standard—is at risk of eroding. @tombollyky.bsky.social writes: "There is no question that the events of the last week have put the health and lives of Americans at risk."
This article is indeed great, well worth your time
bsky.app/profile/drew...
this is a disaster -- Monarez fired, 4 leading CDC officials (Houry, Dasakalakis, Jernigan, Layden) resign
www.nytimes.com/2025/08/27/h...
Botswana's President Duma Boko declared a public health emergency on Monday, saying the national medical supply chain had failed
A Botswana govt spokesperson ft did not immediately respond to questions about whether US aid cuts contributed to the crisis
www.reuters.com/business/hea...
A (very) early Saturday morning CNN interview on President Trump's budget request for #globalhealth
video.snapstream.net/Play/ym1g305...
BREAKING: In a serious blow to US pandemic flu preparedness, HHS has cancelled a contract with Moderna to test and license prototype vaccines for #H5N1 #birdflu and other potential pandemic viruses.
In a pandemic, mRNA is the fastest way to vaccine doses. www.statnews.com/2025/05/28/m...
Secretary Kennedy has made chronic disease his top priority, yet, under his watch, HHS shuttered the CDC Office on Smoking, a top driver of cardiovascular disease, cancer and premature death in the United States
www.nytimes.com/2025/05/15/h...
Today's executive order is not the first time that the President has proposed that the way to cut US drug prices at home is to raise them abroad.
Read this from @akesselheim.bsky.social, @drjoshs.bsky.social and me in the @nytimes.com on why this won't work
www.nytimes.com/2018/05/14/o...
At FDA, I'm told Center for Tobacco Products's office of compliance and enforcement was slashed by 50%. All CTP contractors too.
All pending CTP compliance cases will be affected.
(Note that CDC's Office on Smoking & Health division was eliminated entirely - so there seems to be a theme here.)
It's not often we have a reference to Eye of Sauron in @thinkglobalhealth.org
Useful article from Ambassador Michelle Gavin on why there has been muted response from African leaders to the withdrawal of billions of dollars in US aid to the region
www.thinkglobalhealth.org/article/afri...
Excellent article in @foreignaffairs.com by @tombollyky.bsky.social and Yanzhong Huang: America's retreat from foreign assistance and global health opens doors for others to step in, but unfilled voids will threaten health security for decades to come.
www.foreignaffairs.com/china/coming...
Here's a running list I've been sent of divisions losing staff. Not comprehensive; admin has not been transparent about who/what divisions they're spiking.
Layoffs include those in HIV/STD work, blood disorders, Office on Smoking and Health (eliminated entirely), work on miner’s safety (eliminated)
State and local public health departments are bracing themselves as the CDC pulls back about $11.4 billion in grants that were allocated to state and community health departments during the Covid-19 pandemic response.
The consequences of devastating US foreign aid: lost surveillance, research, response capacity, more people sick, more people dead. How does abandoning the world make America great?
Great if difficult to read piece by @tombollyky.bsky.social & Yanzhong Huang
www.foreignaffairs.com/china/coming...
China is poor match for replacing most US #globalhealth aid
20 yrs ago, biggest recipients of Chinese health aid were in Africa
Today, almost none are
In 2023, China’s bilateral health aid sunk to lowest levels since 2010
www.foreignaffairs.com/china/coming...
People view thousands of white flags representing Americans who have died of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) placed over 20 acres of the National Mall in Washington, U.S., September 26, 2021. REUTERS/Joshua Roberts
Five years ago, on March 13, 2020, President Donald Trump declared a national emergency concerning the COVID-19 outbreak.
Below is a short 🧵of Think Global Health articles on how COVID continues to shape global health policy and inform ways to protect public health.
I like this @nytimes.com COVID in charts feature. So much has returned to prior trend.
The exceptions?
Time spent alone, vaccination, debt
www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
In 2003, Pres Bush used 301 words in State of Union to announce PEPFAR program which wld save 26 million lives
For years after, DC think tanks printed SOTU bingo cards & had viewing parties to track new initiatives
Card terms incl vaccines, debt relief clean energy
How US ambitions have changed
UK aid budget to be reduced from 0.5% GDP to 0.3% by 2027.
The hits keep coming for international development and #globalhealth
As of 2019, ~14% of UK bilateral aid was devoted to health. The UK has also been largest govt donor to GAVI.
www.reuters.com/world/uk/uk-...
A positive development
“I can’t buy medications with a waiver”
Important reporting from @stephanienolen.bsky.social
on why vital USAID #globalhealth programs remained stalled
www.nytimes.com/2025/02/20/h...
On Friday night, HHS ordered CDC to take down all flu vaccine campaign materials from its website. Materials are starting to come down.
For example, a campaign explaining that flu shot can reduce flu severity from "wild to mild" is now offline. Left image is from Friday, right is now
Meanwhile...
Doing the unthinkable: The deep cuts to the #CDC's workforce today are expected to decimate the Epidemic Intelligence Service, a program that has trained public health rapid responders for decades.
Envy of the world. Poof!
www.statnews.com/2025/02/14/t...
TRO granted against USAID stop work order
The Trump Administration has “not offered any explanation for why a blanket suspension of all congressionally appropriated foreign aid...was a rational precursor to reviewing programs”
t.co/br49nElzIe
A waiver for lifesaving humanitarian assistance doesn't mean much unless you have the staff to implement it
@prof-yadav.bsky.social explains in detail why Sec Rubio's waiver hasn't enabled #globalhealth projects to escape overall suspension of USAID's work
www.thinkglobalhealth.org/article/usai...
Deep dive on the #USAID waiver:
CFR Global Health Fellow @prof-yadav.bsky.social explains why the State Department's waiver is "severely misaligned" for decision-making around supply chains and delivering foreign aid.
NEW: With the Trump administration attempting to dissolve #USAID, our analysis shows that the agency obligated/implemented most (73%) bilateral global health $$ in FY23, including 60% of PEPFAR, & 100% of maternal and child health and TB programs.
www.kff.org/policy-watch...
