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public health

How U.S. aid cuts are reshaping HIV/AIDS efforts in Africa

Illustration accompanying article: How U.S. aid cuts are reshaping HIV/AIDS efforts in Africa
  • The Trump administration's sharp cuts to foreign assistance have created uncertainty for PEPFAR, the U.S. HIV/AIDS program that the State Department estimates has saved roughly 26 million lives since its launch in 2003.
  • NPR reporters documented closed U.S.-funded clinics, health workers forgoing pay, and community-care programs destabilized by the policy changes during nearly two weeks of reporting in South Africa and Mozambique.
  • HIV activist Lucky Mazibuko, who disclosed his HIV-positive status in 1999, said the pre-PEPFAR era "was filled with the stench of death" and described the current uncertainty as threatening to reverse decades of progress.
  • Health workers and advocates in both countries told NPR they remain committed to their work despite uncertain funding, with some going without full pay to maintain patient trust.
 3 MIN READ

New World screwworm detected in Texas calf, first US livestock case since 1966

Illustration accompanying article: New World screwworm detected in Texas calf, first US livestock case since 1966
  • The USDA confirmed on June 4 that New World screwworm larvae were found in a 3-week-old calf in Zavala County, Texas, the first U.S. livestock detection since 1966.
  • The flesh-eating parasite, spread by flies laying eggs in open wounds, can be deadly to animals but poses no common risk to humans and is not a food safety concern, according to the USDA.
  • The detection adds pressure on U.S. ranchers as the national cattle herd sits at its smallest since the 1950s, with beef prices at record highs.
  • The USDA will establish a 12.4-mile infested zone, step up surveillance, and expedite releases of sterilized flies to curb the parasite's spread.
 3 MIN READ
Illustration accompanying article: WHO chief visits Ebola epicenter in eastern Congo as cases surge past 900