Funding disruption can lead to 6 million more HIV infections by 2029: United Nations

AIDS caused a major disruption in the lives of many and with the efforts of various prevention programmes that aimed to reduce the fatality and also to provide medicines to the vulnerable, the scenario has changed. As per UNAIDS, in 2023, 39.9 million people were living with HIV and about 5.4 million people did not know that they were living with the deadly virus.  

However,  in the last six months, due to the abrupt withdrawal of US funds, the efforts have hit a roadblock. United Nations(UN) officials have warned that if the funding is not replaced, the world will see more than 4 million AIDS-related deaths and another 6 million HIV infections by 2029. 

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What caused the funding disruption?

The USD 4 billion that the United States pledged for the global HIV response for 2025 vanished in January when US President Donald Trump ordered that all foreign aid be suspended and later moved to shutter the US AID agency.

Due to the disruption, officials informed that losses are being seen and have led to destabilised supply chains, closure of health facilities, causing a major setback to the prevention programmes, UNAIDS stated. 

Experts believe the funding disruption can also lead to major loss of data, without which the tracking of the spread of HIV would prove to be very difficult. 

Meanwhile, the US Food and Drug Administration gave its approval for the twice-yearly injection of lenacapavir, by Gilead Sciences, for the prevention of HIV infection in adults and adolescents who are at a high risk of contracting the virus. 

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