WHO Warns of Devastating Impact from HIV Funding Halt
Geneva, Wednesday, 29 January 2025.
A funding pause risks reversing decades of HIV progress, endangering millions reliant on preventive measures and treatments, cautions the World Health Organization.
Global Health Crisis Unfolding
The World Health Organization has issued an urgent warning about the implications of an immediate funding pause for HIV programs, which currently provide life-saving therapy to more than 30 million people worldwide [1]. This crisis stems from the Trump administration’s January 20, 2025, decision to halt nearly all global health funding, including the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), which operates with an annual budget of $6.5 billion [2][3]. The impact is particularly concerning given that 39.9 million people were living with HIV at the end of 2023 [1].
Immediate Risks and Historical Context
Healthcare experts warn that patients could experience a resurgence of infections within days to weeks without their medications, increasing both their vulnerability to other illnesses and transmission risks [4]. PEPFAR has been instrumental in saving more than 26 million lives since its inception [2][3], and currently provides HIV treatment for more than 20 million people globally, including 566,000 children under 15 years of age [1]. The funding freeze could potentially reverse decades of progress, taking the world back to the devastating scenarios of the 1980s and 1990s when millions died of HIV annually [1].
Limited Exemptions and Global Response
While Secretary of State Marco Rubio issued a temporary waiver on January 28, 2025, allowing limited spending on humanitarian programs, it remains unclear whether this applies to all PEPFAR funding [4]. The freeze affects operations in over 50 countries [1], with exceptions only for aid to Israel and Egypt [6]. Health experts, including Beatriz Grinsztejn, president of the International AIDS Society, emphasize that ‘The impact is huge, and the impact is immediate’ [4].
Future Implications and Calls for Action
The situation is particularly critical as PEPFAR’s funding was only renewed for one year in March 2024, rather than the usual five-year term [4]. The WHO is actively calling on the United States Government to enable additional exemptions to ensure the continued delivery of lifesaving HIV treatment and care [1]. Global health experts, including Madhukar Pai from McGill University, suggest this crisis moment might necessitate other nations increasing their contributions to global health, potentially reducing reliance on single-nation funding sources [3].