The United Nation’s HIV/AIDS agency, UNAIDS, has warned U.S. funding cuts could cause millions of preventable infections and deaths.
The U.S. was one of the world’s biggest financial contributors to HIV/AIDS funding until President Donald Trump took office again earlier this year.
Trump paused almost all foreign aid payments in January.
In a new report, UNAIDS has suggested the funding cuts are “jeopardising decades of hard-won progress against the AIDS pandemic”.
AIDS
Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is an incurable disease that attacks the immune system, transmitted through bodily fluids.
Left untreated, the immune system deteriorates, which can lead to Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS).
People with HIV can take medication to reduce the disease’s presence in their body, to the point that it can’t be passed on.
People without HIV can take a medication called PrEP to reduce their risk of contracting the disease.
Prevalence
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UNAIDS’ latest report said that as of last year, nearly 41 million people were living with HIV. It said this was the highest number ever recorded, due to the prevalence of “lifesaving” treatments.
In 2024, 1.3 million people acquired HIV, the lowest annual number since the 1980s. Half of all new infections were in sub-Saharan Africa.
In Australia, the prevalence of HIV has been decreasing consistently in recent years. Fewer than 31,000 Australians are estimated to be living with HIV.
Funding
The U.S. has historically been a major financial contributor to research and treatment for HIV/AIDS, both domestically and internationally.
The U.S. Government had committed $US4.3 billion ($AU6.5 billion) to support the global response to AIDS in 2025, but this was affected by Trump’s pause on foreign aid in January.
The report suggests that if funding is permanently reduced, there could be an additional six million HIV infections and four million AIDS-related deaths by 2030.
UNAIDS said the funding cuts are already disrupting the supply of medicines, closing health clinics, and interrupting testing.
It described U.S. funding to less wealthy countries with high rates of HIV as “a lifeline” which has now been “severely cut back”.
In 2015, UN members set global targets to end AIDS as a public health threat by 2030. The report said if the U.S. does not restore funding, it is likely the 2030 target will not be reached.
