8 countries could run out of HIV treatments due to USAID cuts, WHO says

The Manila Times

8 countries could run out of HIV treatments due to USAID cuts, WHO says  The Trump administration's decision to pause US foreign aid has "substantially disrupted" supply of HIV treatments in eight countries, which could soon run out of these life-saving medicines, the World Health Organization said on Monday, March 17.  The global health agency said that Haiti, Kenya, Lesotho, South Sudan, Burkina Faso, Mali, Nigeria and Ukraine could exhaust their supply of HIV treatments in the coming months.  Efforts to tackle HIV, polio, malaria and tuberculosis have been impacted by the U.S. foreign aid pause implemented by President Donald Trump shortly after he took office in January.  WHO/REUTERS  Subscribe to The Manila Times Channel - https://tmt.ph/YTSubscribe  Visit our website at https://www.manilatimes.net  Follow us:  Facebook - https://tmt.ph/facebook  Instagram - https://tmt.ph/instagram  Twitter - https://tmt.ph/twitter  DailyMotion - https://tmt.ph/dailymotion   Subscribe to our Digital Edition - https://tmt.ph/digital   Check out our Podcasts:  Spotify - https://tmt.ph/spotify  Apple Podcasts - https://tmt.ph/applepodcasts  Amazon Music - https://tmt.ph/amazonmusic  Deezer: https://tmt.ph/deezer Stitcher: https://tmt.ph/stitcher  Tune In: https://tmt.ph/tunein  Soundcloud: https://tmt.ph/soundcloud   #TheManilaTimes #tmtnews #hiv #usaid #who

Transcript

00:00The suspension of most funding to PEPFAR, the President's emergency plan for AIDS relief,

00:07caused an immediate stop to services for HIV treatment, testing, and prevention in more than 50 countries.

00:16Eight countries now have substantial disruptions to antiretroviral therapy

00:21and will run out of medicines in the coming months.

00:26Disruptions to HIV programs could undo 20 years of progress,

00:31leading to more than 10 million additional cases of HIV

00:36and 3 million HIV-related deaths, more than triple the number of deaths last year.

00:43The U.S. administration has been extremely generous over many years.

00:48And of course, it's within its rights to decide what it supports and to what extent.

00:57But the U.S. also has a responsibility to ensure that if it withdraws direct funding for countries,

01:06it's done in an orderly and humane way that allows them to find alternative sources of funding.

01:16We ask the U.S. to reconsider its support for global health, which not only saves lives around the world,

01:23it also makes the U.S. safer by preventing outbreaks from spreading internationally.

01:30If the U.S. decides not to restore direct funding to countries,

01:35we ask it to engage in dialogue with affected countries

01:39so plans can be made to transition from reliance on U.S. funding to more sustainable solutions

01:46without disruptions that cost lives.

01:50The sudden cuts to U.S. funding are also affecting efforts to eradicate polio,

01:55to monitor the emergence of diseases such as avian influenza,

02:00and to respond to disease outbreaks and humanitarian crises.

02:06Almost 24 million people living in such crises are at risk of not being able to access essential health services.

02:15More than 2,600 health facilities in 12 humanitarian crises have already suspended services,

02:23at least partially, or will do very soon.

02:27In many countries, the abrupt loss of U.S. funding threatens to reverse progress

02:33in disease control, immunization rates, maternal and child health, and emergency preparedness.

02:41In Cox's Bazar in Bangladesh, the largest refugee camp in the world,

02:46diagnosis and treatment of hepatitis C has been disrupted,

02:50as well as disease surveillance, primary and secondary health care,

02:54laboratory services, procurement of supplies, and salaries of health workers.

03:00There are now severe disruptions to the supply of malaria diagnostics, medicines,

03:05and insecticide-treated bed nets due to stock-outs, delayed delivery, or lack of funding.

03:12Over the last two decades, the U.S. has been the largest bilateral donor to the fight against malaria,

03:19helping to prevent an estimated 2.2 billion cases and 12.7 million doses.

03:28If disruptions continue, we could see an additional 15 million cases of malaria

03:35and 107,000 deaths this year alone, reversing 15 years of progress.

03:43On tuberculosis, 27 countries in Africa and Asia are facing crippling breakdowns in their response,

03:51with shortages of human resources, disruptions to diagnosis and treatment,

03:56data and surveillance systems collapsing, and vital community engagement work deteriorating.

04:04Nine countries have reported failing procurement and supply chains for TB drugs,

04:10jeopardizing the lives of people with TB.

04:14Over the past two decades, U.S. support for TB services has helped to save almost 80 million lives.

04:23Those gains, too, are at risk.

04:26Music

04:35Music

04:50Music

Category

Transcript

Recommended