US funding cuts deal blow to global HIV treatment: Report - Al Jazeera

What the report says

Al Jazeera English reports that a new amfAR report says reductions and disruptions in US support for PEPFAR, the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, have seriously weakened HIV prevention and treatment programmes in many countries. The report, published Tuesday and covered by Al Jazeera on July 21, 2026, draws on a survey of 166 organisations in 46 countries that had depended on PEPFAR funding.

According to Al Jazeera’s account of the report, affected organisations described clinic closures, staff layoffs and reduced services after awards were delayed or cancelled. The article says the report counted more than 1,700 clinic closures and over 16,000 job losses. It also says around three-quarters of surveyed organisations stopped serving groups at elevated risk of HIV, including sex workers, transgender people, gay men and people who inject drugs. PEPFAR-supported treatment for children reportedly fell by about 77,000 in 2025, a 14 percent decline.

The US Department of State disputed the findings, Al Jazeera reports, citing Associated Press reporting. Officials said PEPFAR had become stronger under clearer strategic direction and pointed to data from one quarter of 2025 showing treatment levels were stable. Researchers behind the report said that limited snapshot did not reflect the broader annual decline.

Al Jazeera also cited UNAIDS warnings that permanent cuts could lead to millions of additional HIV infections and AIDS-related deaths by 2029. UNAIDS executive director Winnie Byanyima, speaking at an African Union health summit in Accra, urged African health systems to adapt quickly as donor funding falls. PEPFAR, launched in 2003 under President George W Bush, has long been credited with saving more than 26 million lives worldwide.