The global fight against HIV/AIDS faces a significant setback as US funding cuts loom, warns Winnie Byanyima, Executive Director of the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS).
Byanyima told Associated Press on Monday that if the US government halts funding for the world’s largest AIDS program, global HIV infections could rise more than sixfold by 2029.
According to Byanyima, new HIV infections have declined by 60% since 1995, with 1.3 million cases recorded in 2023.
However, the recent 90-day freeze on foreign aid announced by President Donald Trump could lead to a sharp reversal.
UNAIDS estimates suggest that by 2029, new infections could reach 8.7 million, with AIDS-related deaths potentially soaring to 6.3 million and 3.4 million children orphaned.
She said, “We will see a surge in this disease.
“This will cost lives if the American government doesn’t change its mind and maintain its leadership.”
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She emphasized that the US government has been the largest contributor to global HIV efforts, with external funding covering about 90% of some countries’ programs.
The funding freeze has already caused “panic, fear, and confusion” in heavily impacted nations, Byanyima noted.
She cited Kenya, where 550 HIV workers were laid off immediately, and Ethiopia, where thousands lost their jobs, making it difficult for officials to monitor the epidemic.
Byanyima urged the US to reconsider its stance, suggesting a gradual reduction in aid rather than an abrupt cut.
She described the situation as the second-largest crisis in HIV response history, after the years-long delay in providing life-saving antiretroviral drugs to poor countries.
The funding freeze comes at a critical moment, as a new HIV prevention method, lenacapavir, becomes available.
Byanyima highlighted the importance of international aid in supporting American innovation, saying, “International aid helped an American company innovate, to come up with something that will pay them millions and millions, but at the same time prevent new infections worldwide.”
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