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Yahoo
26-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Potential foreign aid cuts could lead to millions of HIV infections, deaths: Study
Potential foreign aid cuts could lead to millions of HIV deaths and "soaring" rates of infections around the world, according to a new study published Wednesday evening. The study authors, comprised of a team from the Burnet Institute in Melbourne, Australia, and the World Health Organization's (WHO) Department of Global HIV, Hepatitis and STIs Programs, said international funding has played a major role in reducing HIV transmission and deaths globally. At least five countries, which together provide more than 90% of global funding to fight HIV, have announced plans to implement significant cuts to foreign aid, generally between 8% and 70% between 2025 and 2026, the authors said. These countries include the U.S., the U.K., France, Germany and the Netherlands, according to the study. MORE: Judge says dismantling of USAID was unconstitutional, orders Musk to restore access for employees The U.S. has not announced any specific plans to cut foreign aid dedicated to fighting HIV. However, President Donald Trump issued an executive order on Jan. 20, 2025, the first day of his current term, titled Reevaluating and Realigning United States Foreign Aid that placed a 90-day pause on "foreign development assistance for assessment of programmatic efficiencies and consistency with United States foreign policy." The study, published in The Lancet HIV, used a mathematical model to look at the effects of aid reductions in 26 countries across Latin America, South America, Europe, Asia and Africa. The study authors looked at projected HIV incidence and mortality from 2025 to 2030, with one model basing projections on spending at the most recent rate and four additional models that included foreign aid cuts. The models estimated the effects of aid reductions, including the possible immediate cessation of the President's Emergency Fund for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) support. Launched in 2003, PEPFAR invests billions of dollars in the global HIV/AIDS response. The authors found that the reduction in aid for HIV prevention and treatment programs could result in 4.4 to 10.8 million additional new HIV infections, which is between a 1.3-to-six-fold increase in potential new infections for those at higher risk of acquiring HIV. The authors also found there could be 770,000 to 2.9 million HIV-related deaths in children and adults worldwide. The latest WHO data reports that 630,000 children and adults died of HIV-related causes globally in 2023. Overall, funding cuts to fight HIV would cause worldwide infections and deaths to surge back to levels not seen since the early 2000s, the authors said. The greatest impacts would be seen in sub-Saharan Africa, children, and among vulnerable populations, such as people who inject drugs, sex workers, and men who have sex with men, according to the study. MORE: 'Radical change': Inside Trump's State Department takeover of USAID "There could be an even greater impact in sub-Saharan Africa, where broader prevention efforts, such as distributing condoms and offering pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) are at first risk to be discontinued," co-lead study author Dr. Rowan Martin-Hughes of the Burnet Institute said in a statement. "This, is in addition to disruptions in testing and treatment programs, could cause a surge in new HIV infections, especially in some of the areas where the greatest gains have been made, such as preventing mother-to-child transmission of HIV and pediatric HIV deaths," the statement continued. Several humanitarian nongovernmental organization leaders previously told ABC News that President Trump's freeze of U.S. foreign humanitarian aid and shuttering of the U.S. Agency for International Development is having devastating consequences globally. Christine Stegling, a deputy executive director of the Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) and an assistant secretary-general of the United Nations, warned that if the Trump administration halts all funding to HIV and AIDS programs, more than six million people could die of AIDS-related causes by 2029. "The United States has historically been the largest contributor to global efforts to treat and prevent HIV, but the current cuts to PEPFAR and USAID-supported programs have already disrupted access to essential HIV services including for antiretroviral therapy and HIV prevention and testing," co-lead study author Dr. Debra ten Brink of the Burnet Institute said in a press release. "Looking ahead, if other donor countries reduce funding, decades of progress to treat and prevent HIV could be unraveled," she continued. "It is imperative to secure sustainable financing and avoid a resurgence of the HIV epidemic which could have devastating consequences, not just in regions such as sub-Saharan Africa, but globally." Potential foreign aid cuts could lead to millions of HIV infections, deaths: Study originally appeared on
Yahoo
26-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Foreign aid cuts will lead to more HIV infections and deaths, study suggests
HIV infections and deaths will rise as a result of cuts to foreign aid, according to a study. Researchers said that funding cuts could undo decades of progress. A new report says that infections and deaths could surge to levels not seen for more than two decades. Experts, led by academics from Australia, estimate there could be up to 10.8 million additional HIV infections by 2030 in low-and-middle income countries as a result of the cuts. And there could be up to 2.9 million HIV-related deaths between 2025 and 2030 if funding cuts proposed by the top five donor countries, including the USA and the UK, are not mitigated. Sir Keir Starmer recently slashed overseas aid spending to fund defence commitments he said were necessary to protect the UK amid uncertainty over the Ukraine war and its implications for European security. Anneliese Dodds resigned as international development minister over the decision, which will see the budget cut from 0.5% of gross national income to 0.3% in the next two years. After taking up post in January, US president Donald Trump announced a pause in most US foreign aid spending. He also announced that the US would withdraw from the World Health Organisation. It is with sadness that I have had to tender my resignation as Minister for International Development and for Women and Equalities. While I disagree with the ODA decision, I continue to support the government and its determination to deliver the change our country needs. — Anneliese Dodds (@AnnelieseDodds) February 28, 2025 A paper, published in The Lancet HIV, highlights how international donors have contributed to 40% of all HIV funding in low-and-middle income countries since 2015. The USA, UK, France, Germany, and the Netherlands together account for more than 90% of international funding, but they have each recently announced plans to implement significant cuts to foreign aid, the article adds. It is estimated that these plans will lead to a 24% reduction in international HIV funding by 2026. As a result, the team modelled the human cost of the cuts. They estimated there could be between 4.4 million to 10.8 million additional HIV infections by 2030 in low-and-middle income countries. And between 770,000 to 2.9 million HIV-related deaths in children and adults could occur in the same time frame. 'Unmitigated funding reductions could significantly reverse progress in the HIV response by 2030, disproportionately affecting sub-Saharan African countries and key and vulnerable populations,' the authors wrote. It comes after the UN programme for combating HIV and Aids, UNAids, said that daily new HIV infections around the world could almost double without the aid provided by the United States. 'The United States has historically been the largest contributor to global efforts to treat and prevent HIV, but the current cuts to Pepfar (the US President's Emergency Plan for Aids Relief) and USaid-supported programmes have already disrupted access to essential HIV services including for antiretroviral therapy and HIV prevention and testing,' said co-lead study author Dr Debra ten Brink of the Burnet Institute (Australia). 'Looking ahead, if other donor countries reduce funding, decades of progress to treat and prevent HIV could be unravelled. 'It is imperative to secure sustainable financing and avoid a resurgence of the HIV epidemic which could have devastating consequences, not just in regions such as sub-Saharan Africa, but globally.' And reports suggest that the Trump administration is planning to end funding for Gavi, the vaccine alliance. Responding to the reports, Professor Sir Andrew Pollard, director of the Oxford Vaccine Group at the University of Oxford, said: 'The funding cuts in the first three months of this year affecting USaid, ODA, WHO and now Gavi are suffocating global health.' Commenting on the study, the National Aids Trust said it is 'extremely alarmed' by the potential impact of proposed cuts. Daniel Fluskey, director of policy, research and influencing at the charity, said: 'These funding cuts will have a devastating impact for millions of people across the world as well as threatening the progress that has been made, both globally and in the UK, on ending the HIV epidemic. 'Like any virus, HIV does not stop at international borders. We will not reach the goal of ending new transmissions by 2030 in the UK with a resurgence of HIV across the world.' Anne Aslett, chief executive of the Elton John Aids Foundation, added: 'This report demonstrates the critical and urgent need for donors to recognise the cumulative impact of their decisions to cut aid budgets. 'If funding for the global HIV response falls away to the extent this report suggests it could, millions more people will get sick, and health budgets will simply not be able to cope.' A Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office spokesperson said: 'The UK provides significant funding to the global HIV response, supporting work to end Aids-related deaths and prevent new HIV infections. 'We remain firmly committed to tackling global health challenges, not only because it is the right thing to do, but also because it will help us deliver on our Plan for Change in the UK by supporting global stability and growth.'
The Guardian
26-03-2025
- Health
- The Guardian
Aid cuts predicted to cause 2.9 million more HIV-related deaths by 2030
Up to 2.9 million more children and adults will die from HIV-related causes before 2030 because of aid cuts by countries including the US and Britain, a new study has found. A resulting resurgence of the HIV epidemic would have 'devastating consequences' globally, researchers warned, after estimating between 4.4m and 10.8m extra new infections in the next five years due to the cuts. This would mean up to a six-fold increase in new infections among at-risk groups, compared with a scenario where funding levels remained consistent. Dr Debra ten Brink, of Melbourne's Burnet Institute and a co-lead author of the study, said: 'Decades of progress to treat and prevent HIV could be unravelled.' The modelling, published in the Lancet HIV, is the first to analyse the potential combined impact of funding cuts from leading donors, and projects a 24% reduction in global international HIV funding by 2026. The US, UK, France, Germany and the Netherlands together provide about 90% of international funding for HIV but have all announced, or already implemented, plans to reduce overseas aid spending. Anneliese Dodds resigned as the UK's international development minister over a decision to cut the aid budget from 0.5% of gross national income to 0.3% in the next two years. 630,000 The number of people who died from Aids-related illnesses in 2023 – more than one every minute. Since the epidemic began, a total of 42.3 million people have died. 1.3 million The number of new infections in 2023, mainly in sub-Saharan Africa. Women and girls accounted for 44% of these. 39.9 million The number of people around the world living with HIV. Of these, 30.7 million are accessing antiretroviral therapy. 51% The percentage by which the death rate has fallen in just over a decade. The risk of an HIV-positive mother passing the virus on to her baby is now less than 1%. $19.8bn The amount of funding available for Aids response in low and middle-income countries by the end of 2023. Of this, 59% came from domestic sources. International funding dropped by 7.9% between 2020 and 2023. Since 2015, overseas donors have been responsible for about 40% of HIV funding in low and middle-income countries. The US has historically been the largest donor but earlier this year announced an almost-immediate halt to most spending, including many projects supported by the US President's Emergency Plan for Aids Relief (Pepfar). Those cuts have already disrupted essential HIV services covering prevention, testing and treatment globally. The study used a mathematical model that took in data from 26 countries to produce its estimates. In a worst-case scenario covering an immediate halt to Pepfar support, wider aid reductions and no mitigation, it estimated there would be between 770,000 and 2.9 million additional HIV-related deaths by 2030 – a return to levels not seen since the early 2000s. Dr Rowan Martin-Hughes, co-lead author, said sub-Saharan Africa could see an even greater impact, where prevention efforts such as distributing condoms and offering preventive drugs were 'at first risk to be discontinued'. He said: 'This is in addition to disruptions in testing and treatment programmes [which] could cause a surge in new HIV infections, especially in some of the areas where the greatest gains have been made, such as preventing mother-to-child transmission of HIV and paediatric HIV deaths.' Ten Brink said: 'It is imperative to secure sustainable financing and avoid a resurgence of the HIV epidemic, which could have devastating consequences, not just in regions such as sub-Saharan Africa, but globally.' The team called for countries to instigate innovative financing strategies and integrate HIV services into wider health systems. Campaigners said the study should prompt a rethink of plans to cut aid. Anne Aslett , of the Elton John Aids Foundation, said: 'This report demonstrates the critical and urgent need for donors to recognise the cumulative impact of their decisions to cut aid budgets. 'If funding for the global HIV response falls away to the extent this report suggests it could, millions more people will get sick, and health budgets will simply not be able to cope.' Meanwhile, Save the Children warned that UK aid cuts would see deaths linked to malnutrition rise worldwide. Charities have called for the British government to pledge £3bn in nutrition-linked spending at the fourth Nutrition For Growth summit in Paris this week, though it has yet to make any commitment.
