UN Warns 4 Million HIV Deaths Risk from US Aid Cuts by 2029

The United States' abrupt cessation of funding for the US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) under President Donald Trump has caused a major crisis in global HIV/AIDS programs, according to multiple United Nations reports. This funding freeze, amounting to $4 billion pledged for 2025, risks reversing decades of progress by potentially causing six million additional HIV infections and four million more AIDS-related deaths by 2029. PEPFAR has been a crucial source of support for HIV testing, treatment, and prevention, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, where half of new infections occur. The sudden withdrawal has destabilized healthcare infrastructures, disrupted supply chains, led to clinic closures, and interrupted HIV surveillance efforts, leaving vulnerable populations at risk. Experts warn that without replacement funding, the progress made in reducing AIDS deaths to their lowest levels in over 30 years could be undone, and there is concern that other donors may also reduce support amid global geopolitical and economic challenges. Despite scientific advances, such as promising new HIV prevention drugs, the loss of US aid threatens to halt momentum toward ending AIDS as a public health threat by 2030.