The Harm Done by Dismantling USAID

The Trump administration dismantled the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) abruptly in February, placing nearly all of its over 10,000 employees on administrative leave, freezing appropriated funds, and cancelling nearly 5,800 USAID-managed foreign assistance awards—effectively closing an agency that has led in global humanitarian assistance since it was created by President John F. Kennedy in 1961.

Shutting down the agency has dealt a devastating blow to low- and middle-income countries’ efforts to alleviate poverty, provide health care, and improve public health and education. USAID supported a wide variety of critical global programs, including  family planning, disease prevention and treatment, immunizations, and famine relief. Nurses played a critical role in USAID, providing education and training to strengthen severely limited in-country nursing and midwifery workforces, delivering direct care, and leading immunization and other health programs.

Deadly results.

A child in Tajikistan receives a polio vaccination during a campaign to halt a polio outbreak. Photo: USAID, via Wikimedia Commons

An estimated 119,000 children and 57,000 adults have died as a result of USAID funding cuts, according to a real-time tracking tool developed by Boston University associate […]

International Travel Preparation: Health and Safety Guide for Nurses

Exposure to infectious diseases during international travel has been in the news recently and it’s important to be aware of the types of risk posed by international travel as well as recommended pre- and post-travel interventions. Nurses, as a trusted health care voice, may receive questions from patients, family members, and others within their community—and nurses themselves may be preparing for international travel.

image via Unsplash

Therefore, how individuals can be be best prepared for international travel should be a point in patient education and personal education for nurses. International travel can be an enriching experience, but it also comes with certain health and safety risks. Proper preparation helps mitigate these risks and ensures a smoother and safer journey. The following information provides essential information on

  • risk assessment
  • food and water safety
  • insect protection
  • general safety considerations
  • and medical preparedness, including vaccines and travel-related medications.

More detailed information can be obtained by going to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website and consulting the Yellow Book, a recognized authority document freely available for access and download.

Risk Assessment

2025-04-14T10:20:37-04:00April 14th, 2025|infectious diseases, Nursing, Public health|1 Comment

Grieving the Words: When Language Becomes a Battleground

Language is deeply personal. It reflects our values, identities, and professional contributions. Losing the words that have shaped our work can feel like erasure—like being forced to abandon principles we hold dear.

Yet, language evolves. It always has. We have witnessed this in every sphere of life. Once, it was acceptable for me to label my patient as “CPMR” (cerebral palsy with mental retardation). Just typing that phrase now makes me cringe. Today, we use person-first language, recognizing the dignity of individuals with intellectual or developmental disabilities.

As a Black woman, I have seen this shift in my own identity. We have been Negroes, Afro-Americans, African-Americans, and now—once again—Black. We have always been Black. In the 1970s, we were told to say it loud and proud, yet even today, some hesitate to use the term.

But something feels different about this current evolution of language. This shift is not happening organically, on our own terms. It is being forced—politically, legislatively, and strategically. I will admit that I have gone through a grieving process because of it. Kübler-Ross’s stages of grief remind me that loss, whether of a loved one or the language that defines the essence of one’s body of work, can evoke denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and […]

2025-03-31T09:28:27-04:00March 31st, 2025|Black nurses, Nursing, Public health|1 Comment

Measles: Amplifying the Public Trust in Nurses to Address the Outbreaks

As of March 7, 2025, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) stated that a total of 222 measles (rubeola) cases had been reported in 12 different U.S. jurisdictions: Alaska, California, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York City, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Texas, and Washington. Among those cases, 94% were either unvaccinated or had an unknown vaccination status. Seventeen percent were hospitalized, with the majority of those cases among children 19 years of age or younger. Unfortunately, measles has already claimed the life of an unvaccinated child in Texas, which is reporting the largest outbreak, at 159 cases. The cause of a second death, of an unvaccinated deceased adult in New Mexico who was found to have measles, is still under investigation.

Measles is an airborne, highly infectious, and potentially severe illness. The vaccine [measles-mumps-rubella (MMR)] vaccine is more than 97% effective in preventing disease. In the United States, MMR coverage among kindergartners is now below the 95% coverage target, with rates much lower in some communities, and is continuing to decrease. In addition, global measles activity is increasing, leading to more opportunities for an unvaccinated person to become infected when traveling outside the U.S. or for an infected person visiting or living in the U.S. to transmit to a susceptible unvaccinated person. Groups of unvaccinated individuals provide opportunities for ongoing transmission and the resultant illness. These outcomes are preventable.

2025-03-10T10:03:13-04:00March 10th, 2025|infectious diseases, Nursing, Public health|1 Comment

A Tumultuous Seven Weeks for Public Health in the United States

Editor’s note: AJN news director Karen Roush, PhD, RN, FNP, will be providing regular updates on AJN Off the Charts about the details and implications of rapid and potentially momentous changes being made by the Trump administration to the public health system in the United States.

It’s been a tumultuous seven weeks since President Trump’s inauguration. Changes in leadership and priorities have swept across every federal department, bringing uncertainty and disruption. Trump signed more than 70 executive orders (EOs) in his first month in office, including orders to erase diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts from federal agencies and the military (EO 14151); limit the rights of transgender people and declare that only two “sexes,” biological males and females, would be recognized by the federal government (EO 14168); end birthright citizenship (EO 14160); and further limit access to abortion (EO 14182). Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency, known as DOGE, has fired tens of thousands of federal employees, dismantled entire agencies, including USAID, and pulled grant funding from universities, nongovernmental organizations, and the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

The appointment of Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. to head HHS.

Many of the […]

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