‘Biblical Diseases’ Could Resurge in Africa, Health Officials Fear

A resurgence of neglected tropical diseases, like river blindness, is feared in Africa after the U.S. cut aid in 2025. These diseases, affecting over a billion people globally, are treatable but cause significant suffering and disability. The U.S. had been a major funder of a 20-year effort to eliminate these diseases, including onchocerciasis in central Cameroon where community health workers had been providing annual treatments since 1994. The funding cut halted these programs, raising concerns that diseases once close to elimination may return. These diseases disproportionately affect the world's poorest populations and have historically received little attention.

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