Health Correspondent
The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is set to close its Zimbabwe office by the end of December as Washington restructures its overseas health assistance programme, following the shutdown of its offices in Angola and South Sudan.
The closures are part of President Donald Trump’s “America First” global health strategy, which ties US health assistance to agreements requiring recipient countries to gradually assume greater responsibility for financing their healthcare programmes.
Zimbabwe rejected a proposed health cooperation agreement with the United States earlier this year over concerns about provisions relating to the sharing of sensitive health data.
The CDC, the US government’s leading public health agency, is responsible for protecting people from health threats through disease surveillance, scientific research, laboratory testing, outbreak investigations and public health interventions.
The agency has operated in Zimbabwe since 2000, working with the Ministry of Health and Child Care to strengthen HIV prevention and treatment, tuberculosis control, laboratory capacity and disease surveillance.
Its technical and financial support has helped improve the detection and management of infectious diseases, train healthcare workers and strengthen the country’s preparedness for public health emergencies.
The CDC has also supported the development of Zimbabwe’s electronic health record system, HIV viral-load testing and laboratory diagnostic capacity, as well as training programmes for frontline epidemiologists. It has assisted the country in responding to public health threats, including cholera, polio and mpox.
The planned closure has raised concerns about the sustainability of US-supported HIV and tuberculosis programmes, disease surveillance, laboratory services and emergency preparedness.
A study published in the Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes on October 1 projected that the withdrawal of US aid could result in 75,000 additional HIV infections in Zimbabwe.
The projection highlights the potential consequences of disruptions to HIV prevention and treatment services, although the actual impact will depend on the extent of funding losses and Zimbabwe’s ability, alongside other partners, to fill any gaps.
The CDC offices in Angola and South Sudan were closed on October 1, while Zimbabwe’s office is expected to shut down at the end of the year. More than a dozen other overseas offices could also close in the coming years.
Under the Trump administration’s revised approach, countries receiving US health assistance are expected to assume a growing share of healthcare costs while demonstrating progress against agreed health targets.
Angola and South Sudan signed agreements with Washington and are expected to receive US$71 million and US$146 million, respectively, under the new arrangements, according to reports. Zimbabwe, however, declined to sign the proposed agreement.
