US funding cuts deal blow to global HIV treatment: Report

UNAIDS chief calls for ‘radical change’ as US-led aid cuts gut HIV clinics and treatment worldwide.Funding cuts by the United States have had a severe impact on global organisations offering HIV treatment, according to a new report.The report, issued on Tuesday by HIV charity amfAR, found that the cuts in funding by the administration of US President Donald Trump for PEPFAR (The US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief) had undermined HIV prevention and treatment across dozens of countries.Organisations have been forced to shut clinics, cut staff and scale back services, it said, referencing a survey of 166 outfits across 46 countries that relied on PEPFAR funding.“Disruption was incredibly widespread,” said Elise Lankiewicz, amfAR’s policy associate and co-lead author.No part of the programme escaped unscathed, she said, including areas that the US administration had claimed it would protect.More than 1,700 clinics closed, and more than 16,000 workers lost their jobs after awards were delayed or cancelled, according to the report.About three-quarters of organisations stopped serving people most at risk of HIV, including sex workers, transgender people, gay men and people who inject drugs.Children were hit hard too. PEPFAR-supported treatment reached about 77,000 fewer children in 2025, a 14 percent drop.The US Department of State has disputed the findings, according to The Associated Press news agency. It claimed PEPFAR has grown “stronger” under clearer “strategic direction”.Officials pointed to one-quarter of 2025 data showing treatment held steady.However, researchers said that snapshot hides a bigger drop that only appears once a full year of data is combined.