US Aid Cuts Worsen HIV Treatment Crisis South Africa, Kenya

South Africa faces a worsening HIV treatment crisis following the Trump administration's $427 million cut in U.S. foreign aid, which led to the closure of 12 clinics and disrupted medication access for up to 220,000 people. Vulnerable groups, especially sex workers and transgender individuals, have been disproportionately affected, with reports of denial of treatment at public hospitals and reliance on expensive black market medication. The South African government has vowed to sustain its HIV program despite the funding gap, but activists warn that hundreds of thousands of new infections and tens of thousands of preventable deaths may result if aid is not restored. Kenya, another country heavily impacted by the U.S. aid pause, has pledged to maintain HIV services using domestic resources, though concerns remain about the sustainability of these programs without external support. Experts emphasize that the potential long-term effects of the U.S. funding halt could be catastrophic, with millions of new infections and AIDS-related deaths projected across affected countries if disruptions continue. These developments underscore the critical challenge faced by nations dependent on foreign aid to combat HIV/AIDS effectively.