By Anjali Sharma
UNITED NATIONS – UNAIDS on Friday warned that despite a waiver issued for HIV/AIDS programmes, the UN agency to combat deadly disease said the US pause in foreign assistance funding has created “confusion” in the vital work of community HIV prevention.
The waiver allows the continuation or resumption of “life-saving humanitarian assistance” including HIV treatment.
Some 20 million people living with HIV and whose medication is funded by the US can continue to receive treatment.
Christine Stegling, Deputy Executive Director of UNAIDS, at scheduled press briefing in Geneva “That’s 20 million out of the 30 million people living with HIV in the world,”
She said that the governments around the world will respond to the US announcement by supporting existing medication plans, “what we’re really concerned about is that…governments will focus right now on keeping people on treatment rather than preventing new infections” .
The HIV global response is heavily dependent on funds from the US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief; it finances 70 per cent of the overall AIDS response.
UNAIDS said PEPFAR has saved more than 26 million lives by investing in critical HIV prevention, treatment, care and support programmes in 55 countries.
Ms. Stegling reported that “there is a lot of confusion on the ground especially at the community level on how the waiver will be implemented”, pointed to disruption of treatment services.
UNAIDS said transport services and community health workers are also still impacted by the US funding pause.
The agency works with 70 countries highlighted that the pause in US assistance to community programmes would lead to the closure of many drop-in health centres and the termination of outreach workers’ contracts, effectively depriving vulnerable groups of support.
The biggest interruption will be to community health services which have been crucial in the success of the fight against HIV, said UNAIDS.
In Ethiopia, 5,000 public health worker contracts depend on US assistance.
Ms. Stegling added “All of these in all regions of Ethiopia, have been terminated, as well as 10,000 data clerks, very important in Ethiopia.
Thousands of individuals – women, young girls, and priority populations at higher risk of sexually transmitted infections – will no longer be able to access critical services, such as condom distribution, HIV testing, antiretroviral treatment, pre-exposure prophylaxis for HIV prevention, screenings for tuberculosis or support to address gender-based violence.
UNAIDS is most concerned about the long-term impact of the US funding freeze on prevention of new HIV infections as most services community-based, while national governments tend to focus on keeping people on treatment, rather than preventing new infections.
PEPFAR is not re-authorized between 2025 and 2029 and other resources are not found for the HIV response, “there would be a 400 per cent increase in AIDS death”, UNAIDS said. “That’s 6.3 million people, 6.3 million AIDS related deaths that will occur in the future”, Ms. Stegling said.
UNAIDS said it will continue efforts to ensure that during the 90-day pause, all people affected by HIV continue to access life-saving services.
Comments are closed.