By Rorisang Modiba
- WHO warns eight countries to face HIV drug shortages after US cuts aid.
- 10 million new HIV infections and 3 million deaths feared, says WHO.
The World Health Organization (WHO) says millions of lives are at risk after the US stopped foreign aid, cutting off HIV treatment in eight countries.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Monday the aid freeze could reverse 20 years of progress in fighting HIV. He warned it could lead to 10 million new infections and 3 million deaths.
Haiti, Kenya, Lesotho, South Sudan, Burkina Faso, Mali, Nigeria and Ukraine are already struggling to keep HIV treatment going. WHO says many could run out of life-saving antiretroviral drugs in the next few months.
The US foreign aid freeze began shortly after Donald Trump became president.
It has also affected other major health programmes, including efforts to stop polio, malaria and tuberculosis.
Health officials say the damage is already being felt. The Global Measles and Rubella Laboratory Network, which supports disease tracking across over 700 sites worldwide, may be forced to shut down.
This comes as measles cases rise in the US.
The crisis has been made worse by the US decision to leave the WHO. The agency has now had to freeze hiring and cut budgets.
It has slashed its emergency operations funding target from US$1.2 billion to US$872 million for 2026–2027.
Ghebreyesus said: “This is not just about numbers. This is about real people, real lives, real families.”
Pictured above: WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Image source: UN
