U.S. halts HIV, TB, and Malaria aid under Trump administration freeze

U.S. halts HIV, TB, and Malaria aid under Trump administration freeze

USA – The Trump administration has moved to suspend the delivery of lifesaving drugs for HIV, malaria, and tuberculosis (TB) in countries benefiting from US-AID support, signaling the end of the vital PEPFAR program.

This program, which has been instrumental in combating HIV globally, is one of the many initiatives affected by the broader freeze on U.S. foreign aid that followed President Trump’s inauguration on January 20.

A memo issued by the State Department last week clarified that the freeze impacts ongoing foreign assistance programs, including PEPFAR, which has provided crucial support for HIV treatment in over 50 countries.

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PEPFAR, launched by President George W. Bush in 2003, has been a lifeline, saving over 26 million lives and spending a total of US $100 billion on HIV care.

The program has received bipartisan backing for over 20 years, but this freeze marks a significant shift in U.S. foreign health policy.

The Foundation for AIDS Research (amFAR) has warned that halting PEPFAR funding will have deadly consequences.

The suspension affects over 190,000 healthcare workers globally and could lead to unnecessary suffering and higher rates of HIV transmission.

Currently, PEPFAR funds antiretroviral treatments for 222,000 people and provides critical services such as cervical cancer screenings and support for women facing gender-based violence.

Over the past two years, PEPFAR has been under huge pressure from conservatives, which reduced its five-year reauthorization mandate to a single year in 2024. PEPFAR is due for renewal in March, which falls within the 90-day review period.

The influential conservative think-tank, the Heritage Foundation, which authored the Trump takeover plan, Project 2025, spelt out in a 2023 paper its view that HIV is “primarily a lifestyle disease” that “such should be suppressed through education, moral suasion, and legal sanctions.”

According to the foundation, “as with any venereal disease, education and abstinence could end the AIDS epidemic” – although this approach has failed miserably in both the US and Africa.

Kenya, which benefits significantly from PEPFAR, has been allocated Ksh.43 billion (US $333 million) for HIV management from October 2024 to September 2025.

However, the U.S. funding freeze could jeopardize these efforts, leading to potential setbacks in HIV treatment and the emergence of drug-resistant strains.

In response, the Kenyan government is exploring alternative funding options and building resilient health systems to mitigate the impact of the U.S. aid freeze.

Additionally, USAID, a major contributor to the global fight against TB, is also under the federal pause, disrupting efforts to combat the disease.

Experts like Dr. Madhukar Pai from McGill University have expressed concern that these actions will significantly hinder global TB and HIV programs.

PEPFAR, one of the U.S.’s most successful foreign aid programs, is facing an uncertain future.

The system that tracks PEPFAR’s data was shut down unexpectedly, fueling fears that the program might be permanently discontinued.

As PEPFAR’s renewal is due in March 2024, within the 90-day review period, there is growing speculation about its future.

Beatriz Grinsztejn, President of the International AIDS Society, expressed that stopping PEPFAR would halt HIV treatment for over 20 million people, reversing the progress made in controlling the disease and putting millions of lives at risk.