Nine-month-old Mohamat from northern Cameroon burned with fever for three days. His family took him to a local health center, but it was too late.
He died from malaria that day. Local officials link this tragedy, and a rise in child malaria deaths to U.S. aid cuts that hit the country’s malaria fight hard.
Delayed Care
Before the cuts, over 2,000 U.S.-funded community health workers reached remote villages like Mohamat’s.
They handed out bed nets and spotted severe cases early. Now, most of those workers are gone.
The health center lacked injectable artesunate, a key drug for bad malaria cases, leaving Mohamat without timely treatment.
Aid Disruption
A February waiver kept some life-saving malaria work going, but the U.S. Agency for International Development’s dissolution caused big gaps.
In Cameroon’s Far North, 2,105 of 2,354 U.S.-backed workers stopped service. The World Health Organization noted “critical gaps” in April 2025 after 80% of contracts ended.
Global Impact
The President’s Malaria Initiative (PMI), led by the U.S. from 2010 to 2023, funded 37% of worldwide malaria efforts.
Its 30 partner countries, mostly in Africa, face major setbacks. Trump’s 2026 budget proposes a 47% cut from $800 million, though Congress decides later this year.
Cameroon’s Struggle
Prosper Laurent Messe Fouda, head of Cameroon’s National Malaria Control Programme, confirmed the worker losses in the Far North and North regions.
Families now delay seeking care, leading to more deaths like Mohamat’s.
Broader Crisis
Malaria kills over 600,000 people yearly, mostly African children. U.S. cuts reverse progress, with Cameroon seeing higher fatalities. Officials fear more cases without quick funding fixes.
Why It Matters
These deaths show how aid cuts hit vulnerable kids hardest. Cameroon, like many African nations, relies on U.S. support to fight malaria, a top killer.
What’s Next
In 2025, Cameroon seeks alternative funding. Global partners must step up to save lives and prevent a malaria surge.
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