The United Nations AIDS agency (UNAIDS) has cautioned that global HIV/AIDS-related deaths could surge dramatically if funding suspended by the United States is not reinstated or replaced.
According to UNAIDS Executive Director Winnie Byanyima, an estimated 2,000 new HIV infections could occur daily, and AIDS-related deaths may increase significantly in the coming years, potentially reaching millions.
The funding suspension follows a decision by US President Donald Trump, who halted nearly all US foreign aid upon taking office on January 20, 2025. Although the US Department of State later clarified that critical HIV programs under the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) would continue, Byanyima stressed that the disruption in health funding is already having severe consequences for those affected by HIV/AIDS.
“This sudden withdrawal of US funding has led to clinic closures, job losses for thousands of health workers, and reduced access to essential services. As a result, we anticipate a rise in new infections. UNAIDS projects that there could be 2,000 new infections daily,” she stated during a press briefing in Geneva on Monday.
She further warned that if funding from the US Agency for International Development (USAID) does not resume by the end of the 90-day pause in April or is not replaced by alternative sources, an additional 6.3 million AIDS-related deaths could occur over the next four years.
“We will witness a resurgence of the epidemic and a rise in fatalities similar to what we saw in the 1990s and early 2000s,” she added.
Byanyima noted that these projections are based on UN modeling, although specific details on the calculations were not disclosed.
The Trump administration has defended the aid freeze as part of the president’s “America First” policy. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio dismissed concerns that Washington was cutting off foreign aid entirely, explaining that exemptions had been made for life-saving services.
The administration has also claimed that it has saved billions of dollars by canceling contracts, terminating employees, and reducing government inefficiencies, though limited evidence has been provided to substantiate these claims.
