As health infrastructure faces imminent challenges, the discontinuation of the Demographic and Health Surveys by the Trump administration signals a critical setback in global health monitoring.
Trump Administration Discontinues Vital Global Health Data Program
Trump Administration Discontinues Vital Global Health Data Program
The termination of the Demographic and Health Surveys underscores a significant loss for public health information worldwide.
As of February 26, 2025, the Trump administration has decided to terminate the Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS), an influential program that provided essential health data to nearly half of the world’s countries. Funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), these surveys were pivotal in collecting reliable information on various health indicators, including maternal and child health, nutrition, reproductive health, and H.I.V. infection rates in 90 low- and middle-income nations.
Effective immediately, program administrators received notification via email, instructing them to cease all operations, terminate subcontracts, and refrain from further orders. This abrupt decision comes as part of a broader freeze on foreign aid by the Trump administration, which is also dismantling USAID and anticipating significant layoffs in the coming days.
The repercussions of this termination are anticipated to be widespread, as future health indicators may become nearly impossible to track, particularly in nations struggling with limited health infrastructure. Global health experts have expressed their distress over the dissolution of the DHS, emphasizing that the absence of such vital data undermines the capacity to gauge the effectiveness of public health initiatives and monitor progress towards vital health goals.
Win Brown, a prominent demographer at the University of Washington, articulated concerns regarding the challenges in developing thoughtful health programs without access to the data provided by the DHS. The termination of these surveys not only poses a risk to public health planning but also jeopardizes the achievement of the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals adopted by UN member countries.
Effective immediately, program administrators received notification via email, instructing them to cease all operations, terminate subcontracts, and refrain from further orders. This abrupt decision comes as part of a broader freeze on foreign aid by the Trump administration, which is also dismantling USAID and anticipating significant layoffs in the coming days.
The repercussions of this termination are anticipated to be widespread, as future health indicators may become nearly impossible to track, particularly in nations struggling with limited health infrastructure. Global health experts have expressed their distress over the dissolution of the DHS, emphasizing that the absence of such vital data undermines the capacity to gauge the effectiveness of public health initiatives and monitor progress towards vital health goals.
Win Brown, a prominent demographer at the University of Washington, articulated concerns regarding the challenges in developing thoughtful health programs without access to the data provided by the DHS. The termination of these surveys not only poses a risk to public health planning but also jeopardizes the achievement of the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals adopted by UN member countries.
