Health experts and relief organizations have warned of hundreds of thousands of deaths on the continent, health experts and relief organizations have warned of hundreds of thousands of deaths on the continent. Health experts and relief organizations from the United States warned of HIV/AIDS programs in many African countries to hundreds of thousands of deaths on the continent.

“South Africa alone”, US financing may lead to 500,000 deaths in the next ten years.

The warning comes when countries begin to feel an effect Discounts in the huge United States. After taking office on January 20, President Donald Trump issued a sweeping executive order that stopped assisting foreign aid for a period of 90 days. This week, the Trump government reduced 90 percent of its fund American Aid Agency (The American Agency for International Development) and thousands of its employees dismissed in Washington.

On Thursday, news that the Trump administration decided to stop financing the United Nations Telecom, the United Nations program in HIV/AIDS that serves societies around the world.

In this week’s report, UNAIDS said that at least 55 countries around the world have reported funding for HIV, including many African countries. This included stopping to 55 HIV projects backed by the US President’s Emergency Emergency Plan (Pepfar) or that received American funding.

African countries bear the largest burden HIV epidemicWith an estimated 25 million they live with HIV in sub -Saharan Africa, among a total of 38 million people suffering from HIV around the world.

Thanks to Pepfar, which began in 2003, is due to the provision of 26 million people, according to UNAIDS. The total spending of the program has about $ 120 billion since its establishment.

Here is what to know how to affect the aid discounts for HIV/AIDS programs on African countries:

What do experts and relief organizations say?

On Thursday, Linda Gill Baker, CEO of Operations at the Dizamd Toto Toto HIV Center, told reporters that the cuts in South Africa would have a devastating effect.

Baker made a statement after many relief groups in South Africa were notified this week by the US State Department that they were granted under the United States Agency for International Development. According to the news agency to Agence France -Presse, notifications read that grants are no longer in line with “US priorities” and will be terminated for “comfort and the interest of the US government.”

But Baker said that the consequences of this decision will be terrible.

“We will see a lost life,” the official said. “More than half a million cases of unnecessary death will occur due to the loss of financing, and up to half a million new infections.”

The United Nations has already said that HIV services in many African countries have been disrupted, including prevention, testing and treatment services. Hundreds of thousands of people who managed to freely reach anti -virus treatment (ART) – drugs that suppress viral pregnancy in people with infected people to unspecified levels and help them lead a healthy life -.

Shortly after aid ads, the US Secretary of State issued a concession in emergency situations to resume humanitarian aid to “save life”, including HIV treatment but not prevention programs-what was not for pregnant women or breastfeeding, probably, to stop the transfer from the mother to the child. The bloc of deposit financing is likely to double the resources challenges faced by non -profit organizations trying to serve patients and weak societies.

Projects related to “sexual ideology”, diversity, transactions, or family planning are prohibited in light of concessions. Organizations have been invited to submit a 30 -day action plan and budgets for review and approval before being approved.

It is unclear whether any organization has been erased under the new rules so far. However, officials say there is a tremendous confusion about how to implement the concession on the ground, even with approval, as testing, prevention and treatment projects often complete each other and must now be separated.

In addition, many partners who implement the United States participating in program management have stopped working or working with a low capacity.

What is the burden of aid in Africa and how did the United States help help?

According to the Global Coalition for HIV, the United States was responsible for two -thirds of international financing in developing countries.

The main recipient is South Africa, the country that has the highest HIV burden In the world in 7.5 million people. The high rate of spread in the country is associated with low levels of education and awareness, especially in rural areas. There are 20 percent of people with HIV in South Africa, and 20 percent of the new HIV infection also occurs in the country.

South Africa has made progress in expanding the number of people who reach HIV treatment, which led to a 66 % decrease in AIDS deaths since 2010. The new HIV infection has decreased by 58 percent, according to special residence diseases.

Pepfar Money constitutes about 17 percent of the HIV budget in South Africa ($ 400 million), while the South African government occupied the majority, according to the country’s Ministry of Health. This support helped to ensure that about 5.5 million people get the treatment of ARV annually, according to the Ministry of National Health.

Likewise, more than half of the HIV drugs purchased for the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Mozambique, Tanzania, and Zambia are secured through American financing, according to the United Nations.

Of the 20 countries that depend on American aid to HIV/AIDS programs, 17 in Africa, the United Nations says.

Among them: DRC, Mozambique, Tanzania, Zambia, Uganda, NIGERIA, Rwanda, Angola, Kenya, Ukraine, Burkina Faso, Burungi, Zimbabwe, Eswatini, and Benin.

The other three are Haiti, El Salvador and Nepal.

What HIV programs have been cut in Africa?

• South Africa: Several HIV clinics have been closed, including in rural areas of Kawazolo Natal, which includes about 1.9 million people with HIV and the worst affected area in the country. This has caused patients to flow to other public public facilities, according to the Associated Press reports. Facilities such as the involvement of men’s health in Johannesburg have been closed, which supported gay men, or TSWANE HIV/TB virus in Pretoria. In total, about 222,000 people with HIV, including 7,445 children under the age of 15, face disorders in the daily anti -virus treatment supply, according to AIDS deposit.
• in Ivory CoastAs the United States supported more than 400,000 adults and children living with AIDS, 516 health facilities have been closed completely, according to the United Nations. Eighty -five percent of people with HIV treatment, and more than 8,600 employees, including doctors, nurses, and midwives affected.
• House for orphans in the countryside PotswanaChildren with HIV have been closed, according to the New York Times report.
• in MozambiqueThe United Nations says that HIV test is no longer available in most parts of the country, and community workers, teachers and advisors who worked with PePfar projects have stopped receiving payments.
• in TanzaniaCommunity health workers, teachers, and advisers funded by PePFar have their jobs.
• and HIV vaccine experiment Under the leadership of a prominent consortium, a medical research organization in South Africa, and with $ 45 million in supporting funding from the United States Agency for International Development, it was stopped, according to Stat News. The experiment aims to produce antibodies that can fight HIV. It was supposed to be launched in late January, with 48 participants in three countries: Uganda, Kenya and South Africa.

How do countries respond?

South Africa sought to calm fears that the financing gap was the death penalty for HIV prevention programs, and pledged to strengthen and care for its health system. Earlier this month, President Cyril Ramavusa said that his administration was working on local solutions.

“We are looking into various interventions to meet immediate needs and ensure the continuity of basic services,” he said.

One of these interventions was started in Soweto, one of the most difficult suburbs on February 25, under the Ministry of Health. the “HIV treatment campaign“He wants to persuade 1.1 million people who already live with HIV, but they are not on treatment, to be registered in the treatment programs by December.

Meanwhile, in Nigeria, the government agreed in February about $ 3.3 million to buy HIV treatment and fill the financing gaps during the next four months. A government committee has also been launched focusing on finding alternative financial support.

Can African countries find alternative financing sources?

It is likely to be one of the main alternative to the United States for International Development. The United Nations recently praised the new intervention initiative for South Africa and said it will work with the government to ensure the continuity of HIV services.

“This plan protects human rights for people who live with HIV, which provides them with hope and an opportunity to live in healthy and satisfied spirits,” the agency said in a statement, adding that it was “inspiring.”

But not only the United States suspended its support for the prevention of HIV, but also to stop financing IDS diseases, it is unclear whether the United Nations agency will be able to help countries like South Africa.

At the same time, experts invite other Western countries, especially the European Union, to intensify and fill the gaps.

Analyst Colaen Le Bio of the European Council for Foreign Relations wrote in a paper published on the organization’s website: “The European Union and his member representing the largest global provider of ODA (official development help).”

“In this way, the mass must make fun of the force that comes from behaving together and speaking as one voice,” Le Boss wrote.

In 2023, the European Union donated 95.9 billion euros (100 billion dollars) of external aid, significantly to assist Ukraine’s efforts, Cofid 19, and climate change.

In addition, private relief organizations, such as Bill and Melinda Gates, may have to fill the financing gaps, as in research, some health experts say.

“They may dance, but this is up to them because they also have their priorities,” said Anna Roca, a professor of epidemics at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, an American publication focusing on clinical research.

“It will not be easy to increase funding suddenly for something that was not part of the Foundation’s agenda. Bill and Melinda Gates are already developing participating financing drugs with the United States Agency for International Development, so some research may be able to continue. It is difficult to say at the present time that if the American Agency for International Development is not present, how will the industry respond – we will have to see.”