US funding cuts deal blow to global HIV treatment: Report

What the report says

Al Jazeera reported that a new amfAR report says cuts to United States funding for PEPFAR, the US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, have seriously disrupted HIV prevention and treatment programmes in dozens of countries. The report, published Tuesday, assessed survey responses from 166 organisations in 46 countries that depended on PEPFAR support and found widespread service interruptions after awards were delayed or cancelled.

According to Al Jazeera, amfAR said more than 1,700 clinics closed and over 16,000 workers lost their jobs. The report also found that about three-quarters of affected organisations stopped serving groups at higher risk of HIV, including sex workers, transgender people, gay men and people who inject drugs. It said treatment supported by PEPFAR reached about 77,000 fewer children in 2025, a 14 percent decline.

The US Department of State disputed the findings, according to The Associated Press as cited by Al Jazeera, saying PEPFAR had become stronger under clearer strategic direction and pointing to one quarter of 2025 data showing treatment levels were steady. Researchers behind the report argued that quarterly figures do not capture the broader decline visible in full-year data.

UNAIDS warned that permanent cuts could lead to 6.6 million additional HIV infections and 4.2 million more AIDS-related deaths by 2029. Its executive director, Winnie Byanyima, told AFP in Accra that Africa needs to adapt health systems quickly and move toward greater health sovereignty. Al Jazeera noted that France, Germany and the United Kingdom have also reduced foreign aid, adding pressure to humanitarian and health programmes. PEPFAR, launched in 2003 under President George W Bush, has been credited with saving more than 26 million lives worldwide.