Global HIV Crisis Looms as US Withdraws Aid: UN Warns of Millions of Preventable Deaths by 2029

The global fight against HIV/AIDS is dealt a catastrophic blow with the abrupt suspension of US foreign aid, particularly the $4 billion in 2025 provided under the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). The United Nations cautions that without this funding being replaced urgently, over 4 million AIDS-related deaths and 6 million new HIV infections would be suffered by 2029.

PEPFAR, launched in 2003, has been a lifeline to over 50 countries, paying for testing in 84 million people and treatment for 20 million. Its sudden suspension has disrupted supply chains, shut down clinics, and derailed prevention and testing programs. In Nigeria alone, PEPFAR covered 99.9% of the budget for HIV prevention drugs.

The impact is strongest in sub-Saharan Africa, where half of all new infections are happening. Community programs, especially those focusing on adolescent girls and key populations, were the first to falter. Loss of HIV surveillance data will also hinder containment efforts, warn experts.

A new injectable medication, Yeztugo, holds out the potential with 100% effectiveness to avert HIV. But due to its exorbitant price and limited access in Latin America and other parts of the world, equitable access is under threat.

Aids activists are calling for urgent measures to bridge the funding gap and avert a reversal of years of advancements. If left unchecked, the world could go back to the high HIV death tolls of the early 2000s.