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Think Global Health

Gaza's Postwar Recovery, Containing Bird Flu, and Emergency Care Without USAID

March 14, 2025

 

Editors' Note

On Monday, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio took to X to announce that he and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) had completed its review of U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) programs and decided to cancel 83%, stating that the contracts "did not serve the core national interests of the United States." 

To unpack how the loss of U.S. development assistance is disrupting care across the world, Emergency Project founder Darren Cuthbert recounts a recent traffic accident in resource-constrained Zimbabwe that killed 25 and injured dozens more, constituting a national emergency. Cuthbert notes that USAID cuts made the week before the disaster drastically reduced the number of staff available to assist with emergency medical response. The episode should remind readers that the United States is "retreating from lifelines that stand between a fighting chance and a waiting grave for tens of millions." 

Following the Arab Summit on March 4, Shira Efron and Jess Manville from the Israel Policy Forum weigh the latest plans for Gaza's postwar reconstruction. Efron and Manville emphasize that until the Arab League, Israel, and the United States reach consensus on how to disarm Hamas and remove the terrorist organization from power, humanitarian aid and recovery efforts will remain obstructed.  

New consumer price data shows that in February, the cost of a dozen eggs experienced its largest single-month jump since 1980. Managing Editor Nsikan Akpan provides an update on how H5N1 avian flu drove record culling in U.S. poultry. Some relief could be on the way.  

Contributors from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health then give an overview of what strategies could protect people and agriculture from H5N1, urging policymakers to ramp up surveillance, invest in research and development, and address policies related to vaccine deployment for poultry and farm workers.  

To wrap up the issue, researcher Siddhesh Zadey and physician Ayla Gerk Rangel outline why Group of 20 (G20) nations should integrate surgery into their national health plans to help advance sustainable development goals related to climate change and universal health coverage. 

Until next week!—Nsikan Akpan, Managing Editor, and Caroline Kantis, Associate Editor 

 

This Week's Highlights

POVERTY

Image

Zimbabwe's Bus Disaster and the Deadly Cost of Defunding Global Health

by Darren Cuthbert

Global cooperation could reduce disparities in emergency care, but the United States cut programs for disaster relief

Read this story

 

POVERTY

Image

The Gaza Gray Zone: Between War and Recovery 

by Shira Efron and Jess Manville 

Hamas's refusal to disarm and Israel's desire to resume military operations is stalling humanitarian aid efforts in Gaza 

Read this story

 

Figures of the Week

H5N1 avian flu continues to surprise the public health field with spillovers into new species. Yet the virus spreads in predictable ways, offering targets for biosecurity interventions

A line chart showing large life expectancy disparities between different groups in the U.S. with steep declines during the pandemic.
 

In February, bird flu outbreaks continued to strike poultry facilities, leading farmers to cull 12.6 million chickens. The past three months are the most destructive stretch of the ongoing North American outbreak in poultry and have heightened the price of a dozen large grade A eggs

A line chart showing large life expectancy disparities between different groups in the U.S. with steep declines during the pandemic.
 

Recommended Feature

GOVERNANCE

Image

Climate Change, Global Surgery, and G20 Nations 

by Siddhesh Zadey and Ayla Gerk Rangel

Integrating surgical care into national health plans can help G20 nations achieve their sustainable development goals 

Read this story

 

What We're Reading

His Daughter Was America's First Measles Death in a Decade (The Atlantic)

Already Strapped for Cash, the World Food Program Faces Post-USAID Future (Devex)

Refugees in Kenya's Kakuma Camp Clash With Police After Food Supplies Cut (The Guardian)

30 Charts That Show How COVID Changed Everything (New York Times)

In Japan, Fears Mount of a Massive 2011-Style Earthquake on Disaster Anniversary (South China Morning Post)

Brazil Reports Its First Clade 1b Mpox Case (Center for Infectious Disease Research & Policy)

RFK Jr.'s MAHA Commission Meets for the First Time—Behind Closed Doors (STAT)

 

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