GENEVA, Switzerland – Kenya is among eight countries at risk of running out of critical HIV treatments following the suspension of U.S. foreign aid, the World Health Organization (WHO) has warned.
The decision, made under the Trump administration, has severely disrupted the supply of life-saving antiretroviral (ARV) drugs in affected nations, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Monday.
Haiti, Lesotho, South Sudan, Burkina Faso, Mali, Nigeria, and Ukraine are also facing imminent shortages, which could undo decades of progress in the fight against HIV, Tedros cautioned during a press briefing.
“The disruptions to HIV programs could undo 20 years of progress,” he said, warning that the setback could lead to over 10 million additional HIV infections and three million HIV-related deaths.
The freeze in U.S. funding, which came shortly after Trump took office, has had far-reaching effects beyond HIV treatment.
Efforts to combat polio, malaria, and tuberculosis have also been affected, according to WHO.
The global measles monitoring network, which relies heavily on WHO coordination, is now at risk of shutting down at a time when measles cases are resurging in the U.S.
In Afghanistan, where WHO funds 80% of essential health services, the financial strain has already forced the closure of 167 health facilities.
If no urgent funding is secured, over 220 more could shut down by June, WHO warned.
The funding crisis has also forced WHO to scale back its emergency operations budget.
The agency announced plans to lower its funding target from $1.2 billion to $872 million for the 2026-2027 budget period.
Additionally, the U.S. government’s move to withdraw from WHO has led to hiring freezes and budget cuts within the global health body.
Tedros emphasized that while the U.S. has the right to decide how it allocates its aid, it must do so in a way that does not leave vulnerable populations without life-saving support.
“The United States has a responsibility to ensure that if it withdraws direct funding for countries, it’s done in an orderly and humane way that allows them to find alternative sources of funding,” he said.
