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WHO says eight countries could un out of HIV treatments due to USAID cuts
Time to read: 01:02
Published: 17 March 2025
The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that the U.S. decision to pause foreign aid has significantly disrupted the supply of HIV treatments in eight countries, including Haiti, Kenya, Lesotho, South Sudan, Burkina Faso, Mali, Nigeria, and Ukraine.
Without urgent intervention, these nations could run out of life-saving medications in the coming months, potentially reversing two decades of progress in HIV treatment and prevention. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus cautioned that the disruption could result in over 10 million new HIV cases and three million additional deaths.
The aid freeze has also impacted broader global health efforts, including initiatives to combat polio, malaria, and tuberculosis. Additionally, the WHO-coordinated Global Measles and Rubella Laboratory Network, which monitors measles outbreaks worldwide, faces imminent closure. This comes as measles cases are resurging in the United States.
In Afghanistan, the funding shortage could force 80% of WHO-supported healthcare services to shut down, with 167 facilities already closed and over 220 more at risk by June.
The U.S. withdrawal from WHO funding has also led the agency to freeze hiring and reduce its emergency operations budget from $1.2 billion to $872 million for 2026-2027, raising concerns about the sustainability of global health programs.
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