In an abrupt move, the Trump administration has announced the termination of the Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) program, a critical source of public health information for nearly half of the world’s nations. This action stems from a broader freeze on foreign aid affecting many vital health initiatives, particularly those funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
The DHS, conducted every five years, serves as a cornerstone for gathering vital statistics on maternal and child health, nutrition, reproductive health, and infectious diseases like H.I.V. across around 90 low- and middle-income countries. Such data is instrumental for setting health benchmarks, assessing progress towards objectives like the UN's 2030 Sustainable Development Goals.
On Tuesday, administrators of the program received an email communication indicating the immediate termination of the project for the “convenience of the U.S. Government.” Alongside this decision went instructions to cease all operations, terminate existing subcontracts, and refrain from placing future orders.
This move signals significant implications for the ability to measure and understand the repercussions of aid cuts in regions devoid of robust healthcare infrastructure. Experts in global health have expressed profound concerns regarding the dismantling of such a pivotal resource. Win Brown, a demographer at the University of Washington, voiced skepticism about the ability to effectively implement public health initiatives without the data provided by the DHS, stating, “It’s really challenging for me to understand how you could implement thoughtful programs in public health and monitor progress toward strategic goals if you don’t have the kind of data that are available from the D.H.S.”
As many anticipate thousands of layoffs at USAID in the days ahead, the decision to terminate the DHS raises pressing questions about the future of public health data collection and its consequential impact on healthcare policies and programs in developing nations.
