US funding cuts impact global HIV support: Report | Health Issues

UNAIDS chief calls for ‘dramatic change’ as US-led aid slashes HIV clinics and services around the world.

Funding cuts by the United States have had a major impact on international organizations that provide HIV care, according to a new report.

The report, issued on Tuesday by the HIV charity affAR, found that the reduction of funds by the administration of US President Donald Trump on PEPFAR (the US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief) has reduced the prevention and treatment of HIV in many countries.

Organizations have been forced to close hospitals, cut staff and reduce operations, it said, citing a survey of 166 outfits in 46 countries that rely on PEPFAR funds.

“Confusion was very common,” said Elise Lankiewicz, amfAR policy associate and co-author.

No part of the program was left untouched, he said, including areas that US officials said they would protect.

More than 1,700 hospitals were closed, and more than 16,000 workers lost their jobs after the award was delayed or canceled, according to the report.

About three-quarters of agencies stopped serving people at risk of HIV infection, including sex workers, transgender people, gay men and people who inject drugs.

Children were also severely beaten. PEPFAR-supported treatment reached nearly 77,000 children in 2025, a 14 percent decrease.

The US State Department has denied the findings, according to The Associated Press. They say that PEPFAR has grown “stronger” under “good governance”.

Officials pointed to a quarter of the data for 2025 showing steady support.

However, the researchers said that the image hides a large drop that only appears once in a full year of data collection.

The United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) has warned that if the reduction is permanent, there could be 6.6 million people living with HIV and 4.2 million dying of AIDS by the year 2029.

The United States is not alone in defunding AIDS and other programs. France, Germany and the United Kingdom have also cut foreign aid, leaving aid groups reeling.

UNAIDS lost about 25 percent of its funding last year, executive director Winnie Byanyima told AFP at the end of the African Union health conference in Accra.

“There is an urgent need for Africa to reform its health systems so that its people can survive and function in the health sector,” Byanyima said, calling it a “moment of great change” with no time to waste.

Africa has more HIV infections than any other region in the world.

Established by President George W Bush in 2003, the US, through PEPFAR, is credited with saving more than 26 million lives worldwide.