Trump Pauses Health Aid And Funds For Anti-HIV Programs

Since the inauguration of the 47th US President Donald Trump, a lot has changed in the health sphere. Along with the withdrawal from the World Health Organization (WHO), the Trump administration has also instructed organization in other countries to stop disbursing HIV medications purchased with US aid. This applies to those drugs which have already been obtained and are sitting in local office.

This is part of a broader freeze on foreign aid which was initiated last week, which included the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, a global health program started by George W Bush. This plan has saved more than 25 million lives worldwide.

The administration has also moved to stop the PEPFAR funding from moving to clinics, hospitals and other organizations in low-income countries, reports The New York Times. Appointments have also been cancelled and patients have been turned away from clinics. Many people with HIV, thus are facing trouble and abrupt interruptions in their treatment.

This is happening in the backdrop of the Republican senators' campaign against PEPFAR's authorization for five years, as the program has promoted abortions.

What Could Happen With The Treatment Halt?

Without treatment, virus levels in people with HIV will spike and it will become a hurdle in their immune systems. It can also increase the odds of spreading the virus to others. At least 1 in 3 untreated pregnant women could pass the virus to their babies. There is also a possibility of emergence of resistant strains that can spread across the world.

A study also estimated that if PEPFAR funding ends, it would lead to loss of 600,000 lives over the next decade in South Africa.

The Foundation for AIDS Research, amfAR, said that the halt could be deadly, as this would immediately stop the work order to more than 190,000 clinicians and other healthcare workers.

More on the freeze

Last week, the State Department, which is now led by former Florida Senator Marco Rubio, issued a memo that clarifies the freeze, including foreign assistance programs, including the HIV-AIDs freeze, along with USAID, which could hamper the global efforts to combat tuberculosis (TB).

Every year, the State Department distributes $6.5 billion through PEPFAR, which fights HIV in 50 countries from around the world. PEPFAR also holds multiple public health agencies and programs together and is the largest public health commitment in history by any country.

TB Treatment Also Affected

USAID is one of thee largest investors in the global fight against TB, investing $4.7 billion since 2000. While this could be a crisis moment for global health and development, many experts said that this could also bring other nations to contribute more to global health and be less reliant on any single nation or donor.

Madhukar Pai, MD, PhD, a professor at McGill University in Montreal told CIDRAP News, " would love to see African nations step up, manufacture their own essential medicines and vaccines, and be less and less reliant on aid. I would love to see other G7 and G20 nations step up and make up for the acute funding shortfall that the US government is creating."