US cuts to HIV aid will cost millions of lives - UNAids chief

US funding cuts could lead to 2,000 new HIV infections daily. Over six million additional deaths may occur in the next four years. This warning comes from UNAids chief Winnie Byanyima.

The global fight against HIV is at risk. Deaths from HIV dropped from over two million in 2004 to 600,000 in 2023. Byanyima highlighted that the US decision to pause foreign aid is already causing harm.

She urged the US to reverse these cuts immediately. Women and girls are particularly affected by this situation.

President Donald Trump announced a pause on foreign aid on his first day in office. This pause was part of a review of government spending and lasted for an initial 90 days. Many programs under the US Agency for International Development (USAID) have since been terminated.

Numerous US-funded HIV treatment and prevention programs received stop work orders. This led to the closure of mother and baby clinics in Africa. There are now severe shortages of life-saving anti-retroviral (ARV) medicines.

Byanyima expressed concern about returning to the 1990s when medication was scarce in poorer countries. During that time, infections and deaths soared.

The US has been the largest funder of HIV treatment and prevention for years. Byanyima thanked Washington for its past generosity but criticized the sudden withdrawal of support.

There is no indication that Washington will change its course despite appeals for action. Traditional aid donors in Europe also plan funding cuts, leaving a gap that UNAids fears may not be filled by other countries.

In Geneva, Byanyima shared Juliana's story, a young woman living with HIV in Kenya. She worked for a US-funded program helping new mothers access treatment for their babies. With the program suspended, Juliana lost her job and feared losing her own treatment while breastfeeding.

The World Health Organization (WHO) warned that eight countries could soon run out of HIV drugs due to the funding pause. WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus stated that disruptions could undo two decades of progress against HIV.

In February, South Africa's Treatment Action Campaign (TAC) warned about potential setbacks in accessing necessary services for patients with HIV. TAC chair Sibongile Tshabalala emphasized that they cannot afford to return to those difficult times.

Byanyima proposed a deal to the Trump administration involving Lenacapavir, an ARV developed by Gilead. This drug is administered via injection every six months and could benefit millions globally.

Such a deal would bring profits and jobs beneficial to the US economy, she noted. UNAids faces funding cuts alongside other UN agencies as well.

The UN Refugee Agency may lose 6,000 jobs due to budget constraints. Unicef warns progress on reducing child mortality is threatened as well. The World Food Programme has had to cut rations in famine-threatened regions too.