WHO chief warns health gains at risk as funding falters

The head of the World Health Organization (WHO) has issued a stark warning that sudden cuts to global health budgets, including by the USA, are putting years of medical progress in jeopardy.

The move, which follows foreign aid reductions by the Trump administration, has led to an increase in disease outbreaks, particularly in conflict-ridden areas. “We are living through the greatest disruption to global health financing in memory,” said WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, speaking to reporters in Geneva.

He said the situation is already deteriorating in countries such as Angola, where cholera has infected more than 17,000 people and killed over 550 this year alone. The outbreak, the worst in two decades, has been exacerbated by poor access to clean water and sanitation.