GenevacTypeface:> Daily new HIV infections around the world could almost double without the aid provided by the United States, the UN programme for combatting HIV and AIDS (UNAIDS), said in Geneva on Monday.
Executive director Winnie Byanyima expressed understanding for the desire of the United States to cut back its funding for aid projects around the world, but an abrupt withdrawal by the US would have devastating consequences, she said. No other donors had thus far indicated that they would cover the loss.
Many African governments were working to boost contributions to health care, she noted, but that can’t happen immediately. Byanyima put the UNAIDS budget for 2024 at $220 million, more than half of which had been funded by the US.
Thousands of HIV-infected people were no longer receiving medication as a result of the US cutback, and without reliable care, the virus could spread rapidly again, she said. (DPA)
