#sub-Saharan Africa

PEPFAR Freeze: HIV/AIDS Treatment Cut for 20 Million People Across Africa

The administration froze PEPFAR on Day One, cutting antiretroviral therapy for an estimated 20 million HIV-positive people in sub-Saharan Africa. PEPFAR funded 70% of the global HIV response. Health workers reported clinics closing, drug supplies running out, and patients dying within weeks of the freeze. Even after partial restoration, the damage to supply chains, staffing, and preventive programs is projected to cause hundreds of thousands of preventable deaths.