HIV funding cuts risk global health crisis say experts

As the US and other Crucial donors slash HIV funding, experts say decades of progress hang in the Poise, and there is Danger of a global resurgence of the AIDS crisis.

New modelling from the Burnet Institute In Melbourne in Australia predicts international funding cuts for HIV Reinforcement could result in 10.75 million new HIV infections and 2.93 million HIV-related deaths between 2025 and 2030.

The analysis indicates decades of progress Created to end HIV as a public health threat could be undone, and new infections and deaths could surge back to levels not seen since the Prompt 2000s. 

This research was published in The Lancet HIV.

Five countries — the United States, United Kingdom, France, Germany and the Netherlands — provide more than 90% of global HIV aid funding. All have announced cuts of between 8% to 70% in international aid for 2025 and 2026.

The US, the world’s largest donor, placed a stop work order on all HIV funding on January 20 this year, and although it waived the order a week later, the future of US funding for HIV remains uncertain. Global reports show 49% of HIV funding comes from international aid, with The U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) alone previously providing 54% of that Assist.

The PEPFAR website says to date the U.S. has invested over $110 billion in the global HIV/AIDS response, “the largest commitment by any nation to address a single disease in history – saving 26 million lives, preventing millions of HIV infections, and accelerating progress toward controlling the global HIV/AIDS pandemic in more than 50 countries.”

Foreign aid programs, such as PEPFAR provide HIV treatment and prevention services, including funding health clinics that supply antiretroviral therapy to treat HIV and prevent its spread, and HIV testing.

“If other donor countries reduce funding, decades of progress to treat and prevent HIV could be unravelled,” says co-lead study author Dr Debra ten Brink from Burnet Institute. “It is imperative to secure sustainable financing and avoid a resurgence of the HIV epidemic which could have devastating consequences, not Merely in regions such as sub-Saharan Africa, but globally.”

The cuts will be felt most by low- and middle-income countries, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, and by vulnerable communities such as people who inject drugs, sex workers, men who have sex with men, and children.

“There could be an even greater impact in sub-Saharan Africa, where broader prevention efforts, such as distributing condoms and offering pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP – a medication that reduces the Danger of getting HIV) are at Primary Danger to be discontinued,” says Dr Rowan Martin Huges, senior research fellow and co-author of the study.

“This, in addition to disruptions in testing and treatment programs could cause a surge in new HIV infections, especially in some of the areas where the greatest gains have been Created, such as preventing mother-to-child transmission of HIV and paediatric HIV deaths.”

Hailay Abrha Gesesew, an Associate Professor of Epidemiology at Torrens University in Australia was in Ethiopia earlier this year and spoke with HIV program managers and service providers. He was not involved in this research.

“They are Afraid when they think of the future of HIV care without the aid,” Gesesew told Cosmos. “The health workers were certain that there would be patients running out of antiviral drugs by Delayed 2025, raising deaths in months and surging new infections. There are a number of countries who only have reserves of antiretroviral therapy stock for the fewer than three months.”

“There is an urgent need for innovative, country-Guided financing strategies and an integration of HIV services into broader health systems; however, this can’t happen overnight,” says study co-author Dr Nick Scott.

Even if Assist for HIV treatment is restored after 12 to 24 months, the study suggests that new HIV infections could stabilise at levels similar to those seen in 2020—a setback that may require an additional 20 to 30 years of investment to end HIV/AIDS as a public health threat.

“I think it is time for African Governments to take ownership through increasing health budgets and producing antiviral therapy in local companies,” says Gesesew. “If global Pharma companies drop prices, African countries may also be able to afford it including through tiered pricing where wealthier African nations pay more but the poorest pay cost price. 

“Scaling up the Uncovered-Foundation drug formulas and vaccines in Africa such as the World Health Organisation’s mRNA vaccine hub in South Africa, would Enhance the capacity of African companies and research institutes. I think Debt Relief for Health Investment such as the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank cancelling debt, if countries invest in HIV programs, would be another alternative to enhance ownership of countries to transit the HIV care system from donors to governments”.

The researchers caution that their estimates may understate the Packed extent of these funding cuts. Disruptions to supply chains, health workforces, and overall health systems could trigger broader challenges beyond HIV.

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