Trump’s HIV funding withdrawal may raise illness risk – WHO

The World Health Organisation has expressed deep concern about the implications of the immediate funding pause for HIV programmes in low- and middle-income countries.

MP3 DOWNLOAD SONG

It said 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.

The President Donald Trump administration has directed organisations in other countries to stop disbursing HIV medications purchased with U.S. aid, even if the drugs have already been obtained and are sitting in local clinics.

The directive is part of a broader freeze on foreign aid initiated last week.

In a statement on Tuesday, the global health body noted that a funding halt for HIV programmes could 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.

“For the global community, this could result in significant setbacks to progress in partnerships and investments in scientific advances that have been the cornerstone of good public health programming, 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,” it noted.

It added that 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.

However, it said 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.

“Over the past year, PEPFAR and partners, including WHO, have been working on sustainability plans with countries for greater country ownership and reduced donor support up to and beyond 2030. A sudden and prolonged stop to programmes does not allow for a managed transition and puts the lives of millions at risk.

“WHO is committed to supporting PEPFAR and other partners, as well as national governments, in managing change processes effectively to minimize the impact on people living with HIV,” it said.

Last updated on February 6th, 2025 at 12:51 am

Do you find NaijaChoice useful? Click here to give us five stars rating!

Follow NaijaChoice on Social Media

Twitter: @naijachoice01 Facebook: @naijachoicenig Instagram: @naijachoiceng Tiktok: @naijachoice

RECOMMENDED FOR YOU 🔥

  We Can Have Peace Talks With Ukraine But Not With Zelensky - Putin Putin: We’re Open to Peace Talks with Ukraine, But Not with Zelensky Birthright Citizenship: Nigerians In Diaspora Kick, Say It’s Illegal Birthright Citizenship: Nigerians In Diaspora Kick, Say It’s Illegal 'I’m Supposed To Be Dead' - Trump Breaks Silence On Assassination Attempt U.S. Learned Of Iranian Plot To Kill Trump Weeks Before Shooting How A Millisecond Head Tilt Saved Donald Trump’s Life (Video) Reformist Masoud Pezeshkian Elected Iran's President Reformist Masoud Pezeshkian Elected Iran’s President Nigerian Boxer, Isaiah Olugbemi Dies After Being Shot By Neighbour In US (Photos) Meta Lifts Restrictions On Donald Trump’s Facebook, Instagram Accounts "No Place For Violence', Says Biden On Shooting At Trump's Rally “No Place For Violence’, Says Biden On Shooting At Trump’s Rally ICYMI: Donald Trump Shot At Pennsylvania Rally (Photos) Russia Overtakes U.S As Biggest Gas Supplier To Europe

Alternative Tags:
Trump’s
HIV
funding
withdrawal
may
raise
illness
risk
WHO

Be the first to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.


*