On December 12, 2024, President Biden and Vice President Harris unveiled the final annual global health security report, highlighting significant investments and achievements in global health security since 2020. The U.S. government has invested over $3 billion to bolster health security capacities in more than 100 countries. Notably, five out of 25 Global Health Security (GHS) partner countries demonstrated capacity in five critical technical areas, showcasing the effectiveness of U.S. support in enhancing health systems worldwide.
The report detailed the U.S. support for the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) in managing five Ebola outbreaks since 2020, as well as Nigeria's activation of national response mechanisms for anthrax outbreaks in 2023. In a commitment to pandemic preparedness, the U.S. pledged up to $667 million to the Pandemic Fund by 2025, alongside the donation of nearly 700 million COVID-19 vaccine doses globally. Additionally, the U.S. committed nearly $11 million to address the Marburg Virus Disease outbreak in Rwanda in September 2024.
In the context of these global health initiatives, the allocation of funds in the 2024 national budget in Zimbabwe has raised concerns, as the security cluster received ZWL8.6 trillion, significantly overshadowing the health and childcare sector's ZWL6.3 trillion allocation. This discrepancy highlights ongoing challenges in prioritizing health funding, especially as the health sector struggles to meet the Abuja Declaration's target of 15% of the national budget. Health officials in Zimbabwe have voiced their concerns regarding the implications of this funding imbalance on public health.
In Kenya, the government has also made substantial investments in security, with an increase in the development budget for the State of Internal Security and National Administration from Sh1.18 billion to Sh7.17 billion. This funding will support various projects, including the construction of new sub-county headquarters and the refurbishment of existing offices, reflecting a broader trend of prioritizing security over health in national budgets.
In Tanzania, the Prisons and Police Healthcare Project, funded by the U.S. government through USAID/PEPFAR, continues to enhance healthcare systems in police and prison facilities. This initiative aims to strengthen HIV and TB interventions across 64 health facilities, with significant progress reported in testing and treatment outcomes. Dr. Adili Kachima reported that from October 2023 to September 2024, 89,602 individuals were tested for HIV, with 2,030 testing positive, and 1,362 clients diagnosed with TB receiving treatment. This project underscores the importance of international support in addressing health challenges in vulnerable populations. [ed0fd12c][797dc8e5]