PEPFAR Funding Crisis Threatens to Reverse HIV/AIDS Progress in Sub-Saharan Africa

New study reveals potential for 1 million pediatric HIV infections and half a million child deaths by 2030 without renewed US support.

A Lancet study highlights the catastrophic risks of halting PEPFAR funding, including an estimated 1 million new pediatric HIV infections and 460,000 AIDS-related child deaths by 2030.
PEPFAR, launched in 2003, has saved over 26 million lives and prevented 7.8 million children from being born with HIV, transforming the fight against the epidemic in sub-Saharan Africa.
The Trump Administration's 2025 halt to global health funding, including PEPFAR, has jeopardized critical HIV prevention and treatment programs in over 50 countries.
Experts urge a five-year transition plan to shift program ownership to African governments, ensuring stability and preventing a resurgence of the HIV/AIDS crisis.
Ending PEPFAR could weaken US global health leadership, with nations like China and Iran poised to fill the void in Africa's health diplomacy.