Rachel Schraer
@rachelschraer.bsky.social
Global Health Correspondent for The Independent 🌎
Before: The Bureau of Investigative Journalism, BBC News + World Service ✍️ 📻 📺
Get in touch: rachel [dot] schraer [at] independent.co.uk or on Signal @rachelschraer.01
Before: The Bureau of Investigative Journalism, BBC News + World Service ✍️ 📻 📺
Get in touch: rachel [dot] schraer [at] independent.co.uk or on Signal @rachelschraer.01
Pinned
Rachel Schraer
@rachelschraer.bsky.social
· Apr 14
I start today as global health correspondent for The Independent covering, among other things, how aid influences communities' health. Know something? Get in touch 🌎
The government today announced what The Independent revealed on Friday - that it is cutting 15 per cent from the world's largest funder of the fight against HIV, TB and malaria, putting hundreds of thousands of lives at risk www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/poli...
UK risks many children’s lives with £150m cut to fund fighting deadly diseases
The cut from £1bn to £850m pledged to the Global Fund to Fight Aids, TB and Malaria – risking 250,000 lives – was revealed by The Independent last week
www.independent.co.uk
November 11, 2025 at 5:00 PM
The government today announced what The Independent revealed on Friday - that it is cutting 15 per cent from the world's largest funder of the fight against HIV, TB and malaria, putting hundreds of thousands of lives at risk www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/poli...
Reposted by Rachel Schraer
The Israeli army killed Gaza civilians in a free-for-all, say ...
... Israeli soldiers who served there.
... Israeli soldiers who served there.
November 10, 2025 at 9:21 AM
The Israeli army killed Gaza civilians in a free-for-all, say ...
... Israeli soldiers who served there.
... Israeli soldiers who served there.
Reposted by Rachel Schraer
UK to put 250,000 lives at risk from HIV, TB and malaria with aid cuts, writes @rachelschraer.bsky.social www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/poli...
UK to put 250,000 lives at risk from HIV, TB and malaria with aid cuts
Exclusive: The UK is expected to pledge £850m to the Global Fund to Fight Aids, TB and Malaria – a cut of 15 per cent – despite previous assurances that funding would be protected
www.independent.co.uk
November 8, 2025 at 9:33 AM
UK to put 250,000 lives at risk from HIV, TB and malaria with aid cuts, writes @rachelschraer.bsky.social www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/poli...
Exclusive: Keir Starmer is poised to slash £150m in aid to among the world's biggest funders of the fight against HIV, TB and malaria - despite govt saying it would be prioritised www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/poli...
UK to put 250,000 lives at risk from HIV, TB and malaria with aid cuts
Exclusive: The UK is expected to pledge £850m to the the Global Fund to Fight Aids, TB and Malaria – a cut of 15 per cent – despite previous assurances to protect funding
www.independent.co.uk
November 7, 2025 at 5:15 PM
Exclusive: Keir Starmer is poised to slash £150m in aid to among the world's biggest funders of the fight against HIV, TB and malaria - despite govt saying it would be prioritised www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/poli...
In Senegal, I learnt of three deaths at a single community centre from HIV as a direct result of Trump's aid cuts to the Global Fund. The UK is poised to announce its pledge with more pain expected www.independent.co.uk/news/world/a...
When Trump’s aid cuts robbed them of HIV drugs, these people died
Special Report: Three people have died at just one community centre on the outskirts of Senegal’s capital, Dakar, following US aid cuts to HIV care. Rachel Schraer meets the women fighting to stop mor...
www.independent.co.uk
November 5, 2025 at 3:13 PM
In Senegal, I learnt of three deaths at a single community centre from HIV as a direct result of Trump's aid cuts to the Global Fund. The UK is poised to announce its pledge with more pain expected www.independent.co.uk/news/world/a...
Reposted by Rachel Schraer
When Trump’s aid cuts robbed them of HIV drugs, these people died. Now the UK is poised to slash funding further
When Trump’s aid cuts robbed them of HIV drugs, these people died
www.independent.co.uk
November 5, 2025 at 12:10 PM
When Trump’s aid cuts robbed them of HIV drugs, these people died. Now the UK is poised to slash funding further
RFK Jr, whose whole platform is based around tackling the environmental causes of chronic diseases, whose supporters see as the only one willing to stand up to powerful financial interests damaging health, says the UN declaration on taxing alcohol, sugary drinks etc goes 'too far'
BREAKING: UN Declaration On Noncommunicable Diseases Fails To Win Approval After US Foils Consensus - Health Policy Watch
NEW YORK CITY - A painstakingly negotiated Political Declaration on Noncommunicable Diseases with overwhelming support from UN member states failed to win
healthpolicy-watch.news
September 26, 2025 at 1:34 PM
RFK Jr, whose whole platform is based around tackling the environmental causes of chronic diseases, whose supporters see as the only one willing to stand up to powerful financial interests damaging health, says the UN declaration on taxing alcohol, sugary drinks etc goes 'too far'
Trump's aid cuts have left at least 16 countries in Africa running out of essential contraception.
In three countries I've identified, contraceptive methods have already gone out of stock, leaving women facing abuse and turning to unsafe alternatives.
www.independent.co.uk/news/world/a...
In three countries I've identified, contraceptive methods have already gone out of stock, leaving women facing abuse and turning to unsafe alternatives.
www.independent.co.uk/news/world/a...
Exclusive: Trump’s aid cuts leave 16 countries running out of key contraception
Exclusive: At least three countries are already out of some contraceptive methods – with more set to follow suit – leaving women vulnerable to high risk pregnancies and unsafe abortions, writes Rachel...
www.independent.co.uk
September 5, 2025 at 7:46 AM
Trump's aid cuts have left at least 16 countries in Africa running out of essential contraception.
In three countries I've identified, contraceptive methods have already gone out of stock, leaving women facing abuse and turning to unsafe alternatives.
www.independent.co.uk/news/world/a...
In three countries I've identified, contraceptive methods have already gone out of stock, leaving women facing abuse and turning to unsafe alternatives.
www.independent.co.uk/news/world/a...
Reposted by Rachel Schraer
Just for a second, take a step back, and remember that these are the actions of a 56 year old man towards a 17 year old girl.
September 4, 2025 at 2:57 PM
Just for a second, take a step back, and remember that these are the actions of a 56 year old man towards a 17 year old girl.
+ watch Bel Trew's film on the devastating effects of cutting family planning www.independent.co.uk/tv/news/trum... + read her powerful reporting www.independent.co.uk/news/world/a...
September 4, 2025 at 3:22 PM
+ watch Bel Trew's film on the devastating effects of cutting family planning www.independent.co.uk/tv/news/trum... + read her powerful reporting www.independent.co.uk/news/world/a...
Read the report here www.independent.co.uk/news/world/a...
September 4, 2025 at 3:20 PM
Read the report here www.independent.co.uk/news/world/a...
Reposted by Rachel Schraer
WATCH: Mission Aborted: Trump’s War on Maternal Care
Mission Aborted: Trump’s War on Maternal Care
In the opening moments of his presidency, Donald Trump made dramatic and sweeping cuts to US international aid. His main target: family planning programs worldwide. The president even wrongly accused ...
www.independent.co.uk
September 4, 2025 at 10:24 AM
WATCH: Mission Aborted: Trump’s War on Maternal Care
Reposted by Rachel Schraer
Countries across Africa are running out of contraceptives.
September 4, 2025 at 10:24 AM
Countries across Africa are running out of contraceptives.
Exclusive from me today: Countries across Africa are running out of contraception because of US aid cuts, with at least three having already run out of key methods leaving women vulnerable to unsafe abortion and abuse www.independent.co.uk/news/world/a...
Exclusive: Trump’s aid cuts leave 16 countries running out of key contraception
Exclusive: At least three countries are already out of some contraceptive methods – with more set to follow suit – leaving women vulnerable to high risk pregnancies and unsafe abortions, writes Rachel...
www.independent.co.uk
September 4, 2025 at 3:09 PM
Exclusive from me today: Countries across Africa are running out of contraception because of US aid cuts, with at least three having already run out of key methods leaving women vulnerable to unsafe abortion and abuse www.independent.co.uk/news/world/a...
Find this use of the term 'deep state' so so fascinating, bearing in mind it originally described policies and actions taken secretly outside of the official system of checks and balances. Means seems to be using it to describe that very system of checks - the fact the pres can't do w/e he likes
August 22, 2025 at 12:00 PM
Find this use of the term 'deep state' so so fascinating, bearing in mind it originally described policies and actions taken secretly outside of the official system of checks and balances. Means seems to be using it to describe that very system of checks - the fact the pres can't do w/e he likes
Reposted by Rachel Schraer
The thing you don’t see about lengthy libel cases like this is the mental impact on witnesses - and on news outlets’ willingness to do similar stories.
Respect to all the women who chose to go to court to defend this story - plus Sirin Kale, Lucy Osborne, Paul Lewis and the Guardian team.
Respect to all the women who chose to go to court to defend this story - plus Sirin Kale, Lucy Osborne, Paul Lewis and the Guardian team.
The Guardian has successfully defended a libel action brought by the actor Noel Clarke over an investigation by the newspaper in which he was accused of sexual misconduct by more than 20 women.
www.theguardian.com/media/2025/a...
www.theguardian.com/media/2025/a...
Noel Clarke loses libel case against Guardian over sexual misconduct investigation
High court rejects actor’s claim that accusations against him by more than 20 women were false and part of a conspiracy
www.theguardian.com
August 22, 2025 at 9:49 AM
The thing you don’t see about lengthy libel cases like this is the mental impact on witnesses - and on news outlets’ willingness to do similar stories.
Respect to all the women who chose to go to court to defend this story - plus Sirin Kale, Lucy Osborne, Paul Lewis and the Guardian team.
Respect to all the women who chose to go to court to defend this story - plus Sirin Kale, Lucy Osborne, Paul Lewis and the Guardian team.
Babies used to die on the bumpy road from Mahama refugee camp, Rwanda, to the nearest hospital. A fully-operational @savethechildren.org maternity clinic saved lives, but now the centre faces closures because of US aid cuts www.independent.co.uk/news/world/a...
Inside the life-saving maternity ward at risk from Trump’s aid cuts
The health centre in Rwanda’s Mahama refugee camp delivers a thousand babies a year and without it, women face giving birth on the rough road to the nearest hospital. Rachel Schraer hears from the do...
www.independent.co.uk
August 22, 2025 at 10:01 AM
Babies used to die on the bumpy road from Mahama refugee camp, Rwanda, to the nearest hospital. A fully-operational @savethechildren.org maternity clinic saved lives, but now the centre faces closures because of US aid cuts www.independent.co.uk/news/world/a...
Could direct cash transfers be part of the answer to shrinking aid budgets? www.independent.co.uk/news/world/a...
Giving mothers cash before they give birth could halve infant mortality, study finds
Households given a one-off payment of $1,000 dollars saw infant mortality drop by almost 50 per cent
www.independent.co.uk
August 19, 2025 at 2:41 PM
Could direct cash transfers be part of the answer to shrinking aid budgets? www.independent.co.uk/news/world/a...
love the en dash, fear the em dash
People posting about how they’ve never seen em dashes used before the rise of ChatGPT are really great at telling folks they’ve never read a book before.
August 19, 2025 at 8:39 AM
love the en dash, fear the em dash
Delighted to have been shortlisted for podcast of the year for my BBC Radio 4/ BBC Sounds doc on the Lightning Process, the misleading treatment preying on long Covid patients and telling them their illness is in their minds #MJAAwards
🚨 Finalists for the 2025 Medical Journalists' Association Awards are revealed today. #mjaawards mjauk.org/2025/08/15/f...
Finalists for the 2025 Medical Journalists' Association Awards are announced. Winners revealed at the awards ceremony on September 17
Finalists for the 2025 Medical Journalists' Association Awards are announced. Winners revealed at the awards ceremony on September 17
mjauk.org
August 18, 2025 at 9:43 AM
Delighted to have been shortlisted for podcast of the year for my BBC Radio 4/ BBC Sounds doc on the Lightning Process, the misleading treatment preying on long Covid patients and telling them their illness is in their minds #MJAAwards
Reposted by Rachel Schraer
After asking ChatGPT what to eat instead of salt, a man slowly poisoned himself over course of 3 months and gave himself a psychiatric illness that was common in the 19th century, according to a new medical case study:
www.404media.co/guy-gives-hi...
www.404media.co/guy-gives-hi...
Guy Gives Himself 19th Century Psychiatric Illness After Consulting With ChatGPT
"For 3 months, he had replaced sodium chloride with sodium bromide obtained from the internet after consultation with ChatGPT."
www.404media.co
August 8, 2025 at 2:27 PM
After asking ChatGPT what to eat instead of salt, a man slowly poisoned himself over course of 3 months and gave himself a psychiatric illness that was common in the 19th century, according to a new medical case study:
www.404media.co/guy-gives-hi...
www.404media.co/guy-gives-hi...
Reposted by Rachel Schraer
On his decision to end $500M worth of research on mRNA vaccines, RFK Jr. said:
“The the data show these vaccines fail to protect effectively against upper respiratory infections like COVID and flu”.
These vaccines saved 3.2M lives in the U.S.
He is running a disinformation op against Americans.
“The the data show these vaccines fail to protect effectively against upper respiratory infections like COVID and flu”.
These vaccines saved 3.2M lives in the U.S.
He is running a disinformation op against Americans.
August 6, 2025 at 1:46 PM
On his decision to end $500M worth of research on mRNA vaccines, RFK Jr. said:
“The the data show these vaccines fail to protect effectively against upper respiratory infections like COVID and flu”.
These vaccines saved 3.2M lives in the U.S.
He is running a disinformation op against Americans.
“The the data show these vaccines fail to protect effectively against upper respiratory infections like COVID and flu”.
These vaccines saved 3.2M lives in the U.S.
He is running a disinformation op against Americans.
Why are they naming all these American detention facilities like pro wrestlers? www.newsweek.com/indiana-prep...
Indiana prepping "Speedway Slammer" similar to "Alligator Alcatraz"
DHS is preparing another ICE detention facility as deportation efforts continue.
www.newsweek.com
August 6, 2025 at 1:21 PM
Why are they naming all these American detention facilities like pro wrestlers? www.newsweek.com/indiana-prep...
An update on this frankly mind-bending story that Trump's government plans to burn $10m of contraception rather than give it to those who need it - even tho it will cost them more to destroy it + they've had offers from charities to take on the cost of donating www.independent.co.uk/news/health/...
Trump’s destructive plan ‘will deny 1.4m women and girls birth control’
The supplies could prevent an estimated 174,000 unintended pregnancies and 56,000 unsafe abortions if they were handed out, the International Planned Parenthood Federation says
www.independent.co.uk
August 6, 2025 at 12:18 PM
An update on this frankly mind-bending story that Trump's government plans to burn $10m of contraception rather than give it to those who need it - even tho it will cost them more to destroy it + they've had offers from charities to take on the cost of donating www.independent.co.uk/news/health/...
Reposted by Rachel Schraer
We need to teach people the difference between being uncomfortable and being unsafe. Because the discomfort of the safest people is endangering the most vulnerable, all day every day.
July 29, 2025 at 4:09 AM
We need to teach people the difference between being uncomfortable and being unsafe. Because the discomfort of the safest people is endangering the most vulnerable, all day every day.