WHO Warns of Devastating Impact of HIV Funding Pause
The World Health Organization (WHO) has expressed deep concerns regarding the immediate funding pause for HIV programs in low- and middle-income countries.
According to WHO, these vital programs provide life-saving antiretroviral therapy to over 30 million people globally, with a critical intervention given the 39.9 million people living with HIV at the end of 2023.
The WHO warns that halting funding puts people living with HIV at immediate and increased risk of illness and death, while also undermining crucial prevention efforts.
It further explained that prolonged funding cuts could lead to a resurgence in new infections and deaths, potentially reversing decades of progress and risking a return to the devastating era of the 1980s and 1990s, when millions perished from HIV annually.
The global health body emphasized the potential setbacks to partnerships and investments in scientific advancements, including innovative diagnostics, affordable medicines, and community-based care models. These advances have been fundamental to effective public health programming.
The WHO is urging the United States government to implement additional exemptions to guarantee the continued delivery of life-saving HIV treatment and care.
President Donald Trump issued an executive order on January 20th, only hours after taking office, initiating the United States' departure from the World Health Organization.
WHO, established in 1948 as a division of the United Nations, is a multinational organization that brings together 194 nations to tackle the most challenging public health issues around the globe.
Additionally, WHO fights malnutrition, distributes immunizations, and offers aid and technical advice to individuals in underdeveloped and conflict-affected areas of the world. It has a $6.8 billion biennial budget. One of the biggest donors is the United States.
This is Trump's second effort to remove the United States from the agency using an executive order. Former President Joseph Biden undid his previous plan, which he had introduced during his first term.
For a long time, Trump has been critical of WHO for its "failure to adopt urgently needed reforms." Additionally, he has expressed dissatisfaction over the "heavy" financial commitment made by the United States to the international body.
Source: WHO Website
Tags: WHO Donald Trump PEPFAR
