US President Donald Trump’s foreign aid cuts have had a severe impact on HIV prevention efforts worldwide, said health experts who feared new infections might already be surging and millions more could die of AIDS as a result.
A July report by UNAIDS said that if the Trump administration’s HIV cuts remain permanent, there could be six million extra infections and four million more deaths by 2029.
Here’s what you need to know:
What global HIV/AIDS funds did Trump cut?
The Trump administration has cancelled more than 80 per cent of programmes led by the US Agency for International Development (USAID) and this month shut down the organisation.
As a result, many HIV/AIDS programmes have been cancelled, including funding for surveillance systems that helped track the spread of the virus, education campaigns and clinics offering tests and treatment.
A limited waiver in February permitted “life-saving” treatment services funded by the flagship President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) to resume. But pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) medicine that helps the prevention of HIV remains curtailed for most people.
PEPFAR has invested more than US$110 billion since it was launched in 2003, provided 64 million HIV tests and saved 25 million lives in 55 countries, the State Department says.
In March, US Congress failed to reauthorise PEPFAR, raising questions about its future, though the programme has funds until September 2025.
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By cutting back on prevention services for those populations, it really risks continuing broader spread. That’s just how infectious diseases work.
Jennifer Kates, senior vice president, KFF