Shuttered clinics and health workers laid off around the world reflect the widespread, negative toll the United States funding freeze is taking on the global AIDS response, according to a new situation report released on Wednesday by the UN agency charged with responding to the disease.
UNAIDS said that at least one status report on the impact of cuts has been received from 55 different countries up to the start of this week. That includes 42 projects that are supported by the US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and 13 that receive some US support. Two days after President Trump’s executive order in late January declared a 90-day pause to all foreign assistance, the Secretary of State issued an emergency waiver to resume “life-saving” humanitarian assistance, including HIV treatment.
UNAIDS reported just over a week later that there was widespread “confusion” over how the waiver was being implemented on the ground. The 16 reports received from UNAIDS country offices around the world during the week of 17 to 21 February show that these waivers have led to the resumption of some clinical services, such as HIV treatment and prevention of vertical transmission, in many countries that are highly dependent on US funding.
However, it’s unclear how long funding will last amid multiple reports that key US government systems and staff responsible for paying implementing partners are either offline or working at greatly reduced capacity, the UN agency said. In addition, critical layers of national AIDS responses are ineligible for these waivers, including many HIV prevention and community-led services for key populations and adolescent girls and young women, according to the UN agency.
At the same time, data collection and analysis services have been disrupted in numerous countries, according to reports received last week, which note that the overall quantity and quality of HIV prevention, testing and treatment services has been eroded. Staff working in health facilities are facing increased workloads, and patients are experiencing increased wait times to receive lifesaving services, UNAIDS said.
Source: The UN
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