₦airaland Forum

The Deputy Executive Director of UNAIDS, Christine Stegling, while addressing reporters in Geneva said although a waiver was placed on HIV/AIDS programmes in last month’s US foreign aid funding freeze, many concerns remained about the future of treatment programmes.

“There is a lot of confusion, especially on the community level, how the waiver will be implemented. We’re seeing a lot of disruption of delivery of treatment services,” Stegling said.

DAILY POST reports that Trump put hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of foreign aid donations on hold for 90 days upon taking office on January 20.

However, in the following days, the US State Department issued a waiver on the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, PEPFAR, the world’s leading HIV initiative, for life-saving humanitarian assistance.

While welcoming the waiver, Stegling stressed the situation remains chaotic.

Amid a broader decline of funding, Stegling warned there would be a 400% increase in AIDS deaths if PEPFAR financial support is not re-authorized between 2025 and 2029.

“That’s 6.3 million people, 6.3 million AIDS-related deaths that will occur in future…Any penny, any cut, any pause, will matter for all of us.

“In Ethiopia, we have 5,000 public health worker contracts that are funded by U.S. assistance. And all of these have been terminated,” she said, urging UN member states to step in.

She also highlighted that community clinics were facing the biggest interruption as they are entirely dependent on US government funding.

She expressed concern that some people may not come forward for treatment, which could in turn increase new HIV infections.

duro4chang:
So other countries can't do it?

eepeepook:
The average child on Nairaland does not care unless his relatives are affected.

Edygrin:
Lol, one thing this Trump executive orders have shown is how important America is to poor countries.

It is even on those poor countries that you'll see protests against America, burning of their flags and even chants like 'death to America' yet small executive order and they're all feeling the heat.

A man in Bauchi the other day was lamenting how they're are running out of birth control pills since Trump's executive order but this same people will scream 'death to America' at any given chance.

Kingpele:
Chia trump is wicked ooo

Edygrin:
Lol, one thing this Trump executive orders have shown is how important America is to poor countries.

It is even in those poor countries that you'll see protests against America, burning of their flags and even chants like 'death to America' yet small executive order and they're all feeling the heat.

A man in Bauchi the other day was lamenting how they're are running out of birth control pills since Trump's executive order but this same people will scream 'death to America' at any given chance.

duro4chang:
So other countries can't do it? That means America is a blessing to the world