This week, a vital public health initiative that provided essential health data to nearly half of the world's countries has been abruptly terminated by the Trump administration. The Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS), funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), have been instrumental in collecting data on critical health issues such as maternal health, child mortality, and infectious diseases like H.I.V. in around 90 low and middle-income nations.
An email noticed by The New York Times confirmed that the program's administrators were instructed to cease all operations, leading to a significant belt-tightening at USAID and potential layoffs for thousands. The surveys were key for many nations to set health benchmarks and were foundational in the pursuit of the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals aimed at improving global health.
Public health experts expressed significant concern over the loss of these data sources. Win Brown, a demographer at the University of Washington, highlighted that without reliable data from the DHS, measuring progress towards strategic health objectives would become a formidable challenge. The end of this program could severely impact global health initiatives that rely on accurate data to facilitate growth and improve the well-being of citizens in need.
An email noticed by The New York Times confirmed that the program's administrators were instructed to cease all operations, leading to a significant belt-tightening at USAID and potential layoffs for thousands. The surveys were key for many nations to set health benchmarks and were foundational in the pursuit of the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals aimed at improving global health.
Public health experts expressed significant concern over the loss of these data sources. Win Brown, a demographer at the University of Washington, highlighted that without reliable data from the DHS, measuring progress towards strategic health objectives would become a formidable challenge. The end of this program could severely impact global health initiatives that rely on accurate data to facilitate growth and improve the well-being of citizens in need.
