HQ Team
January 29, 2025: A US government’s decision to pause funding for HIV programmes in low and middle-income countries will take the world back to the 1980s and 1990s when millions died of the virus, including many in the United States, according to the World Health Organization.
“A funding halt for HIV programmes can put people living with HIV at immediate increased risk of illness and death and undermine efforts to prevent transmission in communities and countries.
“Such measures, if prolonged, could lead to rises in new infections and deaths, reversing decades of progress and potentially taking the world back to the 1980s and 1990s when millions died of HIV every year globally, including many in the United States of America,” according to a statement from the global health agency.
US President Donald Trump has paused aid from the U.S. Agency for International Development for 90 days to assess compatibility with his ‘America First,’ which prioritises national interests. The US accounts for 42% of global aid. The US, the WHO’s top donor, last week, decided to withdraw from the global health body, accusing it of “mishandling” the Covid-19 pandemic.
PEPFAR
The global body stated that it was committed to supporting PEPFAR and other partners, as well as national governments, “in managing change processes effectively to minimise the impact on people living with HIV.”
The United States President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) has been a flagship initiative of the global HIV response since its establishment over 20 years ago.
The current funding pause for PEPFAR will directly impact millions of lives that depend on the predictable supply of safe and effective antiretroviral treatment.
PEPFAR works in over 50 countries around the world. Over the past two decades, PEPFAR funding has saved more than 26 million lives. Currently, PEPFAR is providing HIV treatment for more than 20 million people living with HIV globally, including 566,000 children under 15 years of age.
‘Sudden stop’
Last year, PEPFAR and partners, including the WHO, have been working on sustainability plans with countries for greater country ownership and reduced donor support up to and beyond 2030, according to the statement.
“A sudden and prolonged stop to programmes does not allow for a managed transition and puts the lives of millions at risk.”
The WHO “expresses deep concern about the implications of the immediate funding pause for HIV programmes in low- and middle-income countries. These programmes provide access to life-saving HIV therapy to more than 30 million people worldwide.”
Globally, 39.9 million people were living with HIV at the end of 2023.
For the global community, the US move could result in significant setbacks to progress in partnerships and investments in scientific advances, including innovative diagnostics, affordable medicines, and community delivery models of HIV care.
“We call on the United States Government to enable additional exemptions to ensure the delivery of lifesaving HIV treatment and care.”
