The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that the U.S. government’s immediate halt on HIV program funding could lead to a spike in HIV cases and threaten life-saving treatment in low- and middle-income countries.
The global health body notes that the funding suspension directly affects initiatives providing HIV treatment to over 30 million people worldwide.
WHO further cautions that without sustained financial support, millions of lives could be at risk, and the progress made in combating the epidemic may be reversed.
Nigeria has been a major beneficiary of the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), which has provided approximately $7.8 billion to support the country’s HIV response through organizations like the National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA) between 2004 and 2023.
PEPFAR, the U.S. initiative aimed at eliminating HIV/AIDS as a public health issue by 2030, is crucial to Nigeria’s progress in meeting the “95-95-95” targets, which focus on diagnosing, treating, and sustaining HIV treatment for people living with the virus.
The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has reported that PEPFAR’s annual $6.5 billion budget has been crucial in providing life-saving medication, HIV testing, and educational efforts to millions of people worldwide.
Despite its impact, the U.S. State Department has suspended the disbursement of funds for at least 90 days while reviewing all foreign development programs. Since its launch in 2003 by then-President George W. Bush, PEPFAR, which operates in 50 countries, has been credited with saving over 26 million lives.
WHO warns that the funding halt puts people living with HIV at an immediate increased risk of illness and death.
WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus cautioned that if the suspension is prolonged, it could reverse decades of progress, leading to a rise in new infections and deaths.
“These programmes provide access to life-saving HIV therapy to more than 30 million people worldwide.
“This funding halt can put people living with HIV at immediate increased risk of illness and death and undermine efforts to prevent transmission in communities and countries,” Tedros stated.
He further emphasized that such setbacks could take the world back to the 1980s and 1990s when millions died of HIV annually, including many in the U.S.
“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,” he added.
WHO has called on the U.S. government to introduce exemptions to ensure the continued delivery of life-saving HIV treatment and care, stressing that millions of lives hang in the balance.