The U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), which for 2 decades has brought lifesaving HIV treatments and prevention tools to people in 55 countries, is itself dying a death of 1000 cuts, say the program’s supporters. Since its inception in 2003, PEPFAR has helped provide anti-HIV medicine to more than 20 million people, prevented transmission of the virus to 5.5 million babies who have mothers living with the virus, and saved an estimated 25 million lives.

PEPFAR, one of the most celebrated global health efforts by any government, was already reeling after President Donald Trump’s administration last year eliminated the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), the program’s main implementing agency. Now, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), its new lead implementer, appears poised to run out of PEPFAR funds. Although PEPFAR typically has all of its annual budget by now to ensure continuing operations for the fiscal year, the Department of State, which oversees it, has only transferred to the health agency about half of the funding Congress had approved.

Source https://www.science.org/content/article/trump-killing-heralded-u-s-effort-help-world-battle-hiv

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