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...

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...

DOJ attorney representing Trump admin also confirmed there is finalized list of 611 USAID employees to remain on job among programs that hadn't received waivers: $450 million in US food aid to feed 36 M people & water supplies for 1.6M people displaced by war in Darfur bsky.app/profile/kyle...

Rubio claims that @USAID lifesaving assistance for health and humanitarian needs will continue. But his team just communicated that the entire agency will be imminently reduced from 14,000 to 294 people. Just 12 in Africa.

NEW: Health agencies are being told to rank thousands of workers as fears of layoffs grow CDC managers must identify 40% of staff on probationary periods who aren’t “mission-critical” — by today Similar efforts underway across HHS Cuts expected With @lenasun.bsky.social @emilydavies.bsky.social

US Secretary of State Rubio will not attend G20 summit in Johannesburg

Argentina to withdraw from the World Health Organization, citing “profound differences” & President Milei following US lead www.statnews.com/2025/02/05/a...

Senior USAID officials were given less than an hour to provide a list of the “leanest essential personnel numbers” they would need “in order to provide essential services only" www.nytimes.com/2025/02/04/u...

This is not just a "pause." It is an unlawful destruction now. Foreign aid is a cornerstone of national security with diplomacy and defense. USAID's work reaches 100s of millions worldwide and America will be harmed. Here are some of the lives at stake.

BREAKING NEWS: Research and basic information on subjects ranging from tuberculosis surveillance to adolescent health disappeared from federal health agency websites.

A brilliant article from @amymaxmen.bsky.social on the impact of our exit from the WHO. “This not only makes Americans less safe, it makes the citizens of other nations less safe," said Tom Bollyky, director of CFR global health. The U.S. cannot wall itself off from transnational health threats,"

The White House puts roughly 60 senior USAID officials on administrative level for actions "that appear to be designed to circumvent” recent executive orders. #Globalhealth bureau cited particularly www.nytimes.com/2025/01/27/u...

ATLANTA (AP) — US public health officials have been told to stop working with the World Health Organization, effective immediately.

The stop-work order could be really devastating for people living with HIV in countries supported by PEPFAR, and it could fuel antiretroviral drug resistance. www.devex.com/news/exclusi...

In this age of BS longevity "hacks", good to remember...👇 "One's life expectancy varies dramatically depending on where one lives, the economic conditions in that location, and one's racial and ethnic identity." www.thelancet.com/journals/lan... #Equity

My new blog: President Trump withdraws the US from WHO — now what? open.substack.com/pub/singerp/...

#Globalhealth entities will ask private sector for steep increase in donations as concern re shortfall in govt contributions grows following US decision to exit WHO For WHO, this will be complicated given its historical tensions w/industry, pharma esp h/t @monscience.bsky.social t.co/jLwwZPud5p

New: Trump officials have paused all external communications at health agencies like CDC, FDA, NIH. No health alerts and the famed MMWRs; no updates to key websites or social media posts. And no indication how long the pause will last. With @rachelroubein.bsky.social + Lena Sun.

During his first term, US President Donald Trump signaled his intention to withdraw from the #WHO. He signaled today he intends to carry through on a move that experts say will threaten global health security. www.statnews.com/2025/01/20/t...

Instead of leaving the WHO, the US should improve it www.theglobeandmail.com/gift/2be7b2e...

Pres Trump revokes 2021 US letter halting US withdrawal from WHO, suggesting WH may argue withdrawal should be immediate (since it was noticed in 2020, w/more than 1 year ago required) WH also halts US participation in pandemic accord negotiations www.whitehouse.gov/presidential...