USAID kept Kajol alive – but after the cuts she's struggling

USAID was integral to Bangladesh's fight against tuberculosis but cuts now leave tens of thousands at risk.

British Broadcasting CorporationWatch LiveHomeNewsSportBusinessInnovationCultureArtsTravelEarthAudioVideoLiveHomeNewsIsrael-Gaza WarWar in UkraineUS & CanadaUKUK PoliticsEnglandN. IrelandN. Ireland PoliticsScotlandScotland PoliticsWalesWales PoliticsAfricaAsiaChinaIndiaAustraliaEuropeLatin AmericaMiddle EastIn PicturesBBC InDepthBBC VerifySportBusinessExecutive LoungeTechnology of BusinessFuture of BusinessInnovationTechnologyScience & HealthArtificial IntelligenceAI v the MindCultureFilm & TVMusicArt & DesignStyleBooksEntertainment NewsArtsArts in MotionTravelDestinationsAfricaAntarcticaAsiaAustralia and PacificCaribbean & BermudaCentral AmericaEuropeMiddle EastNorth AmericaSouth AmericaWorld’s TableCulture & ExperiencesAdventuresThe SpeciaListEarthNatural WondersWeather & ScienceClimate SolutionsSustainable BusinessGreen LivingAudioPodcastsRadioAudio FAQsVideoLiveLive NewsLive SportHomeNewsSportBusinessInnovationCultureArtsTravelEarthAudioVideoLiveWeatherNewslettersUSAID kept them alive - then Trump's cuts came14 hours agoShareSaveSamira HussainBBC South Asia CorrespondentShareSaveBBCKajol, who is the sole breadwinner in her family, contracted tuberculosis in JanuaryWhen Kajol contracted tuberculosis in January, USAID kept her alive. Now she and her family are in danger again after the Trump administration ordered most US aid spending to end.

TB can be fatal if left untreated. The highly contagious bacterial disease, which usually infects the lungs, is not prevalent in rich countries, because treatment is relatively cheap. But in Bangladesh, it is a scourge.

That's especially so in neighbourhoods such as Mohammadpur, a slum in the capital Dhaka where Kajol,17, lives.

"We are poor people," she says. She is the sole breadwinner for herself, her mother and little brother. Her job in a garment factory keeps them all afloat.

So when she fell ill in January, it could have been catastrophic.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cdrxez45dr1o

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