The lives of millions of people living with HIV are at increased risk following the withdrawal of billions in critical healthcare funding by the United States.
The future of funding for global health programs is uncertain after the Trump administration ordered a halt to the supply of medical aid for HIV, malaria, and tuberculosis, as well as essential drugs and equipment for newborns in USAID-supported countries.
The United States President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) has been a flagship initiative of the global HIV response since its establishment over 20 years ago, providing access to life-saving HIV therapy to more than 30 million people worldwide.
Globally, 39.9 million people were living with HIV at the end of 2023.
Kenya, a major beneficiary, was awarded Ksh43 billion in March 2024 to support PEPFAR initiatives through September 2025.
In light of this, the World Health Organization (WHO) has expressed deep concern about the implications of the immediate funding pause for low- and middle-income countries.
The health organization regrets that 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.
It warns that a sudden and prolonged stop to programmes does not allow for a managed transition and puts the lives of millions at risk.
“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” it said in a statement.
WHO is now calling on the United States Government to enable additional exemptions to ensure the delivery of lifesaving HIV treatment and care.
“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” it said.
The current funding pause for PEPFAR will have a direct impact on millions of lives that depend on the predictable supply of safe and effective antiretroviral treatment.
PEPFAR works in over 50 countries around the world. Over the past two decades, its funding has saved more than 26 million lives.
Currently, PEPFAR is providing HIV treatment for more than 20 million people living with HIV globally, including 566,000 children under 15 years of age.
Over the past year, PEPFAR and partners, including WHO, have been working on sustainability plans with countries for greater country ownership and reduced donor support up to and beyond 2030. A sudden and prolonged stop to programmes does not allow for a managed transition and puts the lives of millions at risk.
“WHO is committed to support PEPFAR and other partners, as well as national governments, in managing change processes effectively to minimize the impact on people living with HIV” WHO affirmed.