Over 10 million more people could be infected with HIV and nearly 3 million people could die by the end of the decade because of foreign aid cuts by Western governments, new research published today found.
The study, published in The Lancet HIV, estimates the potential public health impact of planned or proposed cuts by the top five donor countries — the United States, United Kingdom, France, Germany and the Netherlands — which currently account for 90 percent of all international HIV funding.
The greatest impact would be in sub-Saharan Africa and among vulnerable and marginalized populations who are already at a higher risk of acquiring HIV, such as people who inject drugs, sex workers, men who have sex with men and children.
The U.S. slashed U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) funding, including HIV treatment and prevention programs. PEPFAR (the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief) is also at risk.
In February, the U.K. announced it will cut international development spending, while the Netherlands also said it is cutting foreign aid by €2.4 billion. Germany and France rolled back foreign aid budgets last year amounting to another €3 billion cut.
“The current cuts to PEPFAR and USAID-supported programmes have already disrupted access to essential HIV services including for antiretroviral therapy and HIV prevention and testing,” said co-lead study author Debra ten Brink of the Burnet Institute in Australia. If other donor countries reduce funding, “decades of progress to treat and prevent HIV could be unravelled,” she said.
Global health leaders have urged the EU and member countries to step up and uphold their support for global health programs.
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