The World Health Organisation (WHO) has warned that the United States’ decision to halt foreign aid has “substantially disrupted” the supply of HIV treatments in eight countries, including Nigeria.
The WHO Director-General, Tedros Ghebreyesus during a press conference on Monday said the countries which includes Haiti, Kenya, Lesotho, South Sudan, Burkina Faso, Mali, Nigeria, and Ukraine could soon run out of these life-saving medicines.
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Mr Ghebreyesus said the decision has caused disruptions to HIV programmes and put millions of lives at risk.
“The disruptions to HIV programnes could undo 20 years of progress,” he said.
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He warned that this setback could lead to over 10 million new HIV cases and three million HIV-related deaths.
He noted that efforts to tackle HIV, polio, malaria and tuberculosis have been impacted by the US foreign aid pause implemented by President Donald Trump shortly after he assumed office in January.
Funding HIV treatment
Nigeria’s fight against HIV/AIDS has been significantly aided by international donors, particularly PEPFAR, which has provided billions of dollars in funding over the past two decades.
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PEPFAR, which provides HIV treatment to over 20.6 million people worldwide, faced a temporary funding suspension due to President Trump’s executive order on foreign aid.
The order halted many overseas assistance programmes, putting millions at risk.
Two days after Mr Trump’s directive, the Nigerian government, in what seemed like a nod to public demand, announced plans to strengthen its domestic HIV response.
This stance remained even after the US granted a waiver for HIV intervention.
Through the National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA), the Nigerian government announced plans to locally produce HIV-related medical tools, including test kits and antiretroviral drugs.
While this was seen as a proactive move, experts remain sceptical about Nigeria’s ability to fully fund and sustain the initiative.
On 3 February, the Federal Executive Council (FEC) approved $1.07 billion to finance the healthcare sector reforms under the Human Capital Opportunities for Prosperity and Equity (HOPE) programme.
It also approved N4.8 billion for HIV treatment, according to the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun.
As part of government efforts to address the funding gap, the Nigerian Senate also recently allocated an additional N300 billion to the health sector in the 2025 budget.
The additional allocation, equivalent to $200 million, will target health programmes such as TB, HIV, Malaria and Polio.
Other affected areas
The WHO Director-General highlighted the impact on TB programmes, with 27 countries in Africa and Asia facing significant disruptions.
He said these include shortages of healthcare workers, diagnostic tools, and collapsing data systems.
He noted that nine countries have already reported problems with the procurement and supply chains for TB drugs, threatening the lives of affected individuals.
“Over the past two decades, US support for TB services has saved nearly 80 million lives, but this progress is now at risk,” he said.
The global health body said its coordinated Global Measles and Rubella Laboratory Network, with over 700 sites worldwide, also faces imminent shutdown.
Mr Ghebreyesus noted that the US has a “responsibility to ensure that if it withdraws direct funding for countries, it’s done in an orderly and humane way that allows them to find alternative sources of funding.
In a separate statement issued on Monday, WHO said funding shortages could also force 80 per cent of WHO-supported essential health care services in Afghanistan to close.
The agency said as of 4 March, 167 health facilities had shut down due to funding shortages, cutting off lifesaving medical care to 1.6 million people across 25 provinces.
It said without urgent intervention, over 220 more facilities could close by June 2025, leaving an additional 1.8 million Afghans without access to primary health care.
The US plans to exit the WHO have also forced the UN agency, to freeze hiring and initiate budget cuts.
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