The United States is providing critical health assistance, albeit with a significant caveat: broad access to surveillance data and rights to pathogen samples for pharmaceutical development, according to a recent assessment by Human Rights Watch. This evaluation scrutinizes seven bilateral health agreements established in late 2025 with Ethiopia, Kenya, Mozambique, Nigeria, Rwanda, Liberia, and Uganda.
These agreements have sparked substantial concerns regarding the potential misuse of individuals’ private health information, lacking clear boundaries, cohesive safeguards, and effective protections for patient confidentiality. This issue is particularly pressing in nations where data protection laws are either weak or nonexistent.
