On Monday, March 17, the World Health Organization (WHO) listed Nigeria among eight countries that may soon be unable to provide HIV treatment.
This is the result of the Trump administration’s decision to suspend U.S. foreign aid, which “substantially undermines” the country’s HIV treatment supplies.
The Global Health Agency said Nigeria, Haiti, Kenya, Lesotho, South Sudan, Burkina Faso, Mali and Ukraine could exhaust their HIV treatment supplies in the coming months, citing reports of whom, whom the Director-General, Tedros Ghebreyesus.
“The disruption of the HIV program could eliminate 20 years of progress,” he quoted director Ghebreyesus in a press conference.
He added that this could result in more than 10 million other HIV-related deaths and 3 million HIV-related deaths.
Shortly after taking office in January, President Donald Trump soon suspended the impact of U.S. foreign aid to address HIV, polio, malaria and tuberculosis efforts.
The agency said the global network of measles and rubella laboratories (with more than 700 sites around the world) is also facing an upcoming closure. This is when measles is back in the United States.
Ghebreyesus said on Monday it is the responsibility of the United States to ensure it is carried out in an orderly and humane manner so that they can find other sources of funding. ”
The agency said in a separate statement that the shortage of funds could also force 80% of WHO-backed essential health services to be closed in Afghanistan.
As of March 4, 167, medical facilities were closed due to lack of funds and no emergency intervention, and more than 220 facilities could be closed by June.
The United States withdraws from the UN agency’s program, which typically receives one-fifth of the total annual funding from the United States to freeze recruitment and cut budgets.
The WHO said on Monday it plans to reduce its funding target for its emergency operations to $872 million from $1.2 billion in the 2026-2027 budget period.
