Eight countries, including Nigeria, Kenya, and Lesotho, could soon face shortages of HIV drugs due to the recent decision by the US government to pause foreign aid, the World Health Organization (WHO) warned.
US President Donald Trump announced the aid freeze on his first day in office in January, as part of a review of government spending. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warned that disruptions to HIV programs could undo two decades of progress.
He also warned that the disruption could result in more than 10 million additional HIV cases and three million HIV-related deaths—more than triple the number of deaths recorded last year.
Dr. Tedros stated that countries such as Nigeria, Kenya, Lesotho, South Sudan, Burkina Faso, Mali, Haiti, and Ukraine would run out of life-saving antiretroviral (ARV) medications in the coming months.
Trump’s executive order paused foreign aid for an initial 90 days, in line with his “America First” foreign policy, which has disrupted health programs worldwide, including HIV drug shipments.
As a result, the majority of programs run by the US Agency for International Development (USAID) have been terminated. Although a waiver was issued in February for the US’s HIV program—known as the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (Pepfar)—its work has been significantly impacted.
Pepfar, launched in 2003, has helped millions in the world’s poorest regions access HIV treatment and has been credited with saving more than 26 million lives worldwide. However, the freeze has led to a halt in HIV treatment, testing, and prevention services in over 50 countries, Dr. Tedros said.
Trump’s administration also announced a withdrawal from the WHO, affecting the global health agency’s funding.
“The US has been extremely generous over many years, and it is within its rights to decide what it supports,” Dr. Tedros acknowledged. “However, if the US withdraws direct funding, it must be done in an orderly and humane manner to allow countries to find alternative sources of support.”
In sub-Saharan Africa, where an estimated 25 million people live with HIV, more than two-thirds of the global total of 38 million, the situation is critical. Nigeria, with nearly two million people living with HIV, and Kenya, which has the seventh-largest HIV population globally at 1.4 million, are among the most affected.
“We urge the US to reconsider its support for global health,” Dr. Tedros said. “Not only does it save lives, but it also helps prevent outbreaks from spreading internationally, making the US safer.”