11,000 more TB patients died after Trump's USAID cuts. That number will rise.
I am a high school student and tuberculosis advocate. Because of that, the defunding of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and recent attempts to codify those cuts into law have been incredibly disheartening.
After learning about the injustices that surround global tuberculosis testing and treatment from author and advocate John Green – whom I met and whose book I read – I became involved with TBFighters, an advocacy group working to eliminate the structural causes of tuberculosis. As a coder, I initially worked mostly on the TBFighters website. Over time, I became more active in the advocacy work.
When I first joined the effort, I could never have imagined anyone dismantling the single biggest funder for anti-tuberculosis efforts, USAID, making much of our hard work obsolete. But that is exactly what happened, just days after Trump's inauguration when over $300 million was slashed in TB fighting efforts.
More than 11,000 have died of TB after Trump's USAID funding freeze
That funding was lost as part of the $2.5 billion in cuts to USAID health programs that fight diseases such as TB and malaria, provide nutrition to children and pay for other health-related programs.
This single action alone could cause more than 300,000 people to go without TB treatment and let loose an estimated 28-32% surge in the disease worldwide.
Already, more than 11,000 additional TB patients are estimated to have died in the first two months after the January USAID funding freeze. If this continues, thousands more people will likely die, thousands will be hospitalized and thousands will lose a loved one – all from one shortsighted action.
Opinion: I was fired from USAID. Here's what my work really did.
These cuts came with no warning, causing people's treatment to be abruptly stopped and increasing the likelihood of their infection becoming drug resistant.
The impact is immediate: For some, it will make their tuberculosis harder and more expensive to treat.
Major tuberculosis outbreak likely to spread to US
Tuberculosis treatment isn't a walk in the park, either. It can last three to nine months with daily pills and injections, all while the patient has myriad symptoms, such as a wasting body, chest pain, fever, night sweats and coughing (sometimes with blood).
With drug-resistant tuberculosis, that already arduous treatment can be extended by months or even years.
Even after treatment is done, TB leaves a mark on you, causing long-term effects such as hearing loss. Along with costing lives, these cuts will extend the suffering of thousands.
What is tuberculosis? Tuberculosis is one of the deadliest infectious diseases in human history. Here's why.
And the impacts won't be isolated to other parts of the world. If tuberculosis increases in other countries, we will likely also see a rise in TB in the United States.
That is because the disease knows no borders. It spreads through the air, meaning anyone can get it through a simple breath. Marginalized communities – where there is less access to health care and living conditions can put people in tight quarters – will likely be the first to see more cases.
But it won't stop there. TB doesn't pick and choose whom it infects, so while some people may be more likely to get it due to their living conditions, TB anywhere is a threat to people everywhere.
All of this can be prevented. The potential for thousands of new deaths from TB is not worth the less than 1% in federal savings that came from cutting USAID. What kind of country do we want to be? One that disregards the health of people both inside and outside our borders, just for a little bit of savings?
Quinn Yates is a senior at Oak Park and River Forest High School in Oak Park, Illinois, and a member of TBFighters, a collective of global health volunteers.
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