The immediate funding halt for HIV programs in low- and middle-income nations has raised serious concerns, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). More than 30 million people worldwide have access to life-saving HIV therapy thanks to these programs.
By the end of 2023, 39.9 million people worldwide were HIV positive.
A halt in funding for HIV programs can jeopardize efforts to prevent transmission in communities and nations and immediately increase the risk of illness and death for those living with HIV.
Prolonged implementation of such measures may result in an increase in new infections and fatalities, undoing decades of progress and possibly returning the world to the 1980s and 1990s, when millions of people worldwide, including many in the United States, died from HIV each year.
This could lead to major setbacks for the international community in terms of partnerships and investments in scientific advancements that have been the foundation of effective public health programming, such as novel diagnostics, reasonably priced medications, and community-based HIV care delivery models.
In order to guarantee the provision of life-saving HIV treatment and care, WHO is urging the US government to permit additional exemptions.
Since its inception more than two decades ago, the United States President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) has served as a focal point of the worldwide HIV response. Millions of lives that rely on a steady supply of safe and effective antiretroviral therapy will be directly impacted by the current PEPFAR funding pause.
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PEPFAR operates in more than 50 nations worldwide. More than 26 million lives have been saved thanks to PEPFAR funding over the last 20 years. More than 20 million people worldwide, including 566 000 children under the age of 15, are currently receiving HIV treatment through PEPFAR.
PEPFAR and its partners, such as WHO, have been developing sustainability plans with nations for the past year in order to increase national ownership and 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 support PEPFAR and other partners, as well as national governments, in managing change processes effectively to minimize the impact on people living with HIV.
