"The Lancet study examines how the dismantling of international aid by the U.S. and other countries could undo decades of health gains."

"Over the past year, sharp aid cuts have forced the closure of soup kitchens in war-riven Sudan, led to medicine shortages across sub-Saharan Africa, and resulted in reductions in food rations in places such as Somalia and Haiti.

A new study published Monday in the Lancet puts a number on the potential human toll as the global humanitarian system cracks apart, projecting an extra 9.4 million deaths by 2030 if the current trends persist.

The study amounts to an early picture of how funding reductions from the United States and other Western countries could undo decades of health gains, leading to upsurges in HIV/AIDS, malaria and hunger across the developing world."

Chico Harlan reports for the Washington Post February 2, 2026. [2]