UNAIDS Warns HIV Infections Could Skyrocket Without U.S. Funding

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Medically reviewed by Carmen Pope, BPharm. Last updated on Feb 10, 2025.

By India Edwards HealthDay Reporter

MONDAY, Feb. 10, 2025 -- The head of the United Nations AIDS agency (UNAIDS) is warning that a major spike in HIV infections and deaths could occur if the U.S. follows through on freezing foreign aid for HIV programs.

UNAIDS Executive Director Winnie Byanyima told the Associated Press that without U.S. support, officials estimate that new HIV infections could jump more than sixfold by 2029.

The Trump administration moved last month to freeze U.S. foreign aid worldwide as part of his America First agenda.

“We will see a surge in this disease,” Byanyima said from Uganda in an interview.

“This will cost lives if the American government doesn’t change its mind and maintain its leadership,” she added.

HIV infections have been declining, with just 1.3 million new cases worldwide in 2023, a 60% drop since a 1995 peak.

However, UNAIDS predicts that those numbers could dramatically worsen.

Officials estimate that by 2029, there could be 8.7 million people newly infected with HIV, 6.3 million AIDS-related deaths and an additional 3.4 million children orphaned.

Byanyima emphasized that U.S. funding makes up about 90% of HIV programs in some of the hardest-hit countries, the AP reported. She pleaded with the Trump administration not to abruptly cut off funding, which she said has resulted in “panic, fear and confusion."

In one Kenyan county, Byanyima said 550 HIV workers were immediately laid off, while thousands of others in Ethiopia were terminated, leaving health officials unable to track the epidemic, according to the AP.

The funding freeze comes at a critical moment, just as a groundbreaking HIV prevention shot -- lenacapavir (Sunlenca) -- becomes available.

The twice-yearly injection has shown near-complete protection against HIV in women, offering a powerful new solution to curb the epidemic. It is nearly as effective in men.

Widespread use of that shot, in addition to other interventions to stop HIV, could help end the disease as a public health problem in the next five years, Byanyima told the AP.

International aid, she said, “helped an American company to innovate, to come up with something that will pay them millions and millions, but at the same time prevent new infections in the rest of the world.” The freeze in American funding, Byanyima added, doesn't make economic sense.

She urged U.S. officials to reconsider, noting that foreign assistance makes up less than 1% of the total U.S. budget.

“Why would you need to be so disruptive for that 1%?" Byanyima said.

So far, no other countries or donors have committed to stepping in to fill the funding gap.

But Byanyima said she plans to visit European capitals to seek emergency support.

“People are going to die because lifesaving tools have been taken away from them,” she said.“I have not yet heard of any European country committing to step in, but I know they are listening and trying to see where they can come in because they care about rights, about humanity.”

Sources

  • The Associated Press, Feb. 10, 2025

    • Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.

    Source: HealthDay

    Posted : 2025-02-11 06:00

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