Consider This from NPR Can the global HIV/AIDS fight recover from Trump's cuts?
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Sep 12, 2025 Emily Bass, author of 'To End a Plague,' dives into the global fight against HIV/AIDS, detailing the alarming impacts of funding cuts under the Trump administration. She highlights how U.S. initiatives like PEPFAR have historically driven progress, yet face unprecedented challenges today. Bass discusses the troubling rise in infections in Uganda and Tanzania, particularly among pregnant women, and raises concerns about the future of HIV prevention and treatment, especially with new drugs like lenacapavir on the horizon amidst dwindling support.
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Orphan Saved By Shared Pills
- Pastor Billions Chondway urgently sought HIV medicine for a nine-year orphan in rural Zambia after US aid cuts disrupted services.
- The child survived only because a local person shared remaining pills, illustrating immediate harms of funding freezes.
Progress Was Within Reach
- By late 2024 many sub-Saharan countries were on track to meet milestones toward ending HIV as a public health threat by 2030.
- Those gains depended heavily on sustained US investment through PEPFAR and similar programs.
Data Blackout Hides Human Damage
- Recent policy changes caused a data blackout and disrupted reporting, leaving an unclear picture of program continuity on the ground.
- Without routine data, experts and communities cannot track service gaps or respond to emerging crises effectively.
