By: Noam N. Levey

Half a century after the United States led a global expansion of international efforts to combat infectious disease and promote family planning, the Trump administration has embarked on a historic retrenchment that many fear threatens the health of millions and jeopardizes America’s standing in the world.

Since taking office, President Trump has proposed dramatic cuts to the U.S. Agency for International Development, which has historically spearheaded U.S. efforts to improve women’s and children’s health.

The White House is urging reductions this year to major international heath initiatives, including the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, or PEPFAR, which provides life-saving medicines to millions of AIDS patients in developing nations.

Image: Mamie Morris lost her husband in November as he died from the Ebola virus. She lives in King Robert Farm, a suburb or Monrovia, Liberia together with her 3 children and has to support the whole family on her own. The Ebola outbreak in West Africa has produced increasing circles of victims beyond the infected and the dead. Survivors, families, children, and health workers are dealing with the stress and trauma left behind by the disease. Psychological and social support is an approach that helps victims of Ebola to cope with stress and fosters resilience in communities and individuals affected. A team of 4 social workers and a supervisor from the Action Contre la Faim (ACF) visit twice a week residents in some areas on Montserado including here in King Robert Farm to meet the only survivor in this village and affected families. The UN Mission for Ebola Emergency Response (UNMEER) has provided ACF 9 cars to help it with logistics in reaching communities for contact tracing work and social work. UN Photo/Martine Perret. 03 February 2015.