Financial Budgeting Increases Child Mortality in Impoverished Countries

Decreased global funding for health in low- and middle-income countries has led to an emergence in several diseases in sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia. Alongside financial cuts, the climate crisis and current conflicts have exacerbated the child mortality rate despite the number of cases lowering compared to past years. Major health organizations like the United Nations World Health Organization (WHO) have been told to cut their monetary fund for international aid, undermining the global health system. As a result, five deadly diseases have been predicted to endanger child wellbeing.

Top 5 Deadly Diseases Watch List 

• Cholera: Spreading through contaminated food and water, Cholera could continue to increase in cases as the number of children living in conflict zones increases. While the disease is preventable and treatable, deaths have increased in 2025 than in 2024 in part due to outbreaks in conflict zones and mandatory closure of thousands of primary health care clinics. 

• Measles: Measles cases have quadrupled as of 2025, suggesting more cases in 2026 than any time in the last five years. The disease can be prevented with two doses of a highly effective vaccine, yet immunisation progress has stalled due to WHO funding cuts.

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• Malaria: Like Measles, progress to combat the emergence of Malaria has stalled. Concerns with resistance to malaria treatment drugs, funding cuts, and extreme weather events grow greater worry that there will be a rise in cases without global action.

• Diarrhea: Diarrhea remains one of the leading causes of child mortality, killing nearly half a million children per year. Rising climate disasters have led to a substantial number of cases, with rising temperatures and unusually drier rainy seasons suggesting further increase in South and Southeast Asia.

• Tuberculosis (TB): International funding cuts have began since 2020, leading experts to predict an additional 8.9 million children falling ill from TB. Primarily in Africa and Southeast Asia, 1.5 million more children are expected to die from now to 2034, which is nearly double the number of children who would have died regardless.

Credit: Seneca County General Health District

Primary Methods of Transmission for Children 

Since WHO has been warned to reduce their international aid, the ways to transmit deadly diseases have been major concerns. Being aware of mosquito bites, rashes, and dirty water are just a few of the ways to prevent contraction. For children, in particular though, exposure to a household contact or even a sexual one must be considered. Hence, families should check their children on a regular basis.

Next Steps to Respond to Funding Cuts

4.6 billion people still lack access to essential health services, with 2.1 billion facing financial hardship due to health costs. WHO, currently, is supporting billions of people in many countries to sustain essential health services and transition away from aid dependency. Given the scale of those in need, this task remains unmet.

More severe financial shock has been averted by WHO. By increasing mandatory assessed contributions from Member States, the organization’s dependence on voluntary earmarked funding has reduced. Hence, WHO has mobilised nearly 85% of the resources needed for its core budget for 2026 - 2027. However, the remaining gap is said to be hard to mobilise given the current global funding environment.

If the financial crisis does not improve, countries may be at risk of record-breaking outbreaks and epidemics. Without WHO’s funding, dependent countries need to start making difficult decisions regarding disease surveillance and new sources of funding. The organization’s main piece of advice for such countries is solidarity. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus highlights that “solidarity is the best immunity”, especially given the global threats which demand a global response and the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic.

Conclusion

While 2026 rolls in, global health has a bumpy start. Countries around the world are being affected by the newly mandated funding cuts for global health organizations like WHO. As a result, there are greater concerns on the increase in child mortality despite the general trend of the number of cases decreasing. Now, more than ever, isolation and awareness about methods of transmission are important. 

WHO plans to combat the persistent funding gaps that are undermining the global health system through lowering codependency between it and its dependent countries as well as mobilizing more funding. In all, the new policies in the global health system have invoked new strategies to adapt for both the affected countries and the health organizations.