Jonathan Lambert
👤 SpeakerAppearances Over Time
Podcast Appearances
That trend peaked in 2023 with a total of $250 billion in total foreign aid spending.
That money helped drive down deaths by 23% in recipient countries, according to a new analysis by the Barcelona Institute for Global Health.
High levels of aid were linked to a 70% drop in HIV deaths and cut malaria deaths in half.
But that progress is threatened, the researchers say.
Countries are on track to shrink total aid spending by more than 10 percent next year.
If that continues, the study projects an additional 9.4 million people could die by 2030.
That toll could more than double, the researchers say, if countries follow the U.S.
and largely dismantle many aid programs.
Across Bangladesh and many other countries, parts of the soil can have very high levels of naturally occurring arsenic.
The element can leach into drinking water, which can cause all sorts of health problems, including cancer and heart disease.
And because it has no taste, people can drink it for years without knowing.
Since 2000, researchers have been studying the health of over 10,000 people exposed in Bangladesh.
They've also tried to limit the amount of arsenic people ingest by labeling contaminated wells and drilling safer ones.
New research in the journal JAMA suggests such interventions can pay off.
People whose exposure went from high to low levels had similar disease risk as those who never drank contaminated water.
Across Bangladesh and many other countries, parts of the soil can have very high levels of naturally occurring arsenic.
The element can leach into drinking water, which can cause all sorts of health problems, including cancer and heart disease.
And because it has no taste, people can drink it for years without knowing.