The World Health Organisation (WHO) has raised concern over the move by US President Donald Trump to temporarily pause the funding of HIV programmes in low- and middle-income countries.
According to the health organisation, these programs provide access to life-saving HIV therapy to more than 30 million people worldwide.
In addition, WHO says shutting down the funding not only puts people living with HIV at increased risk of illness and death but also undermines efforts to prevent transmission.
“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,” WHO stated.
The organisation further urged Trump’s administration to exempt funding of HIV programs in the foreign aid shutdown to ensure the delivery of lifesaving to people living with HIV.
“We call on the Government of the United States of America to enable additional exemptions to ensure the delivery of lifesaving HIV treatment and care,” WHO added.
Furthermore, WHO noted that Trump’s executive order to cut the supply of HIV program funds might result in significant setbacks in partnerships and investments in scientific advances.
“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,” WHO said.
Kenya is among the countries that have been affected following Trump’s order to cut off foreign aid.
Funding of HIV program
Trump, on his first day in office on Monday, January 20, 2025, signed executive orders temporarily suspending all foreign assistance for a period of 90 days pending reviews.
The suspended foreign aid includes the supply of lifesaving drugs for HIV, malaria, and tuberculosis in countries supported by US-AID.
A memo sent to contractors and partners working with US-AID instructed them to stop work immediately, as part of a broader freeze on US aid and funding that began after Trump’s inauguration.
This signals the end of the life-saving PEPFAR program, a casualty of the new order from Washington. PEPFAR has been crucial in saving lives and preventing millions of HIV infections.
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.
A funding halt for HIV programmes can… pic.twitter.com/uY7KzKq5Ql
— World Health Organization (WHO) (@WHO) January 28, 2025
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