Years of U.S.-led investment helped push global AIDS deaths to the lowest point in over 30 years. But today, that progress is collapsing fast. A chilling new UNAIDS report warns that over 4 million people could die from AIDS in the next three years and by 2029, The U.N. says it’s because of the sudden U.S. withdrawal of $4 billion in global HIV funding earlier this year. Clinics have closed.
Testing has stopped. Supply chains are broken. And as UNAIDS puts it, “a systemic shock” has already begun. The damage began when President Donald Trump froze all foreign aid in January and moved to shut down the U.S. Agency for International Development. Though Secretary of State Marco Rubio issued a limited waiver to continue treatment, the future of lifesaving programs like PEPFAR remains uncertain.
Andrew Hill, an HIV expert, called it “irresponsible” to cut funding without warning, leaving patients stranded in Africa. In Nigeria alone, 99.9% of HIV prevention drug budgets came from the U.S. Dr. Chris Beyrer from Duke University warned of another massive setback: the loss of data. He said, “Without reliable data about how HIV is spreading, it will be incredibly hard to stop it.”
Meanwhile, a promising new injectable drug—Yeztugo—has been hailed as a game-changer. But activists like Peter Maybarduk say Gilead’s pricing strategy keeps it out of reach.
“We could be ending AIDS…Instead, the U.S. is abandoning the fight.”
UNAIDS says hope still exists—but only if the world steps up before it’s too late. A major debate is occurring today in Washington from both House and Senate on discussion of what the next steps will be and if the Republican majority will reject Trump and Rubio decisions on AIDS prevention and lifesaving treatment.
