The USAID Shutdown Puts Millions of African Lives at Risk

Last year alone, USA contributed $ 3.7 billion of humanitarian aid to sub -Saharan Africa. At least 73 percent of this were assigned to health programs, including HIV treatment and prevention. For those who live with HIV, much of the benefit of this funding came through the president’s emergency plan for the help of AIDS -or PEPFAR, who buys and delivers HIV drugs for countries in need. Ever since he was launched by former US President George W. Bush more than two decades ago, Pepfar saved millions of lives in Africa.

Before Pepfar, HIV often meant a death sentence in Africa. Today, many residents with the virus are able to lead normal life thanks to medicines that have been distributed by it. Auxiliary programs have also allowed sub-Saharan countries to make essential progress in HIV epidemic content through recording rates of infection, improving testing and reducing mother-to-child transmission.

In fact, many countries in Africa, including Nigeria, are on the Cushion Controlling the HIV epidemic and approaches the global “95-95-95” goals-where 95 percent of people with HIV are diagnosed, 95 percent of those diagnosed receive anti-finding therapy, and 95 percent of those who receive antiretrovirate therapy, reach Viral removal, which is where a patient does not have a detectable HIV and is effectively free from the risk of transmission of the virus.

Now, with the lifetime of PepFar apparently going, public health workers are worried that these gains could be reversed. “We will have almost collapse of the health care system if all funding stops after the 90-day frost, as the Nigeria government alone will not be able to provide the services needed,” says Isah.

Isah and his colleagues released Study In 2021 about the will of people living with HIV in Nigeria to pay treatment out of the pocket. This research has found that although many recognize the living importance of supporting their treatment, and therefore willing to pay, the cost of medication is a large barrier for them to do so.

Monthly value of the overall version of Truvada, a drug used to treat HIV and protect against infection both before and after exposure, costs about $ 60 a month. In addition, there are the costs of regular laboratory tests to control viral burden, immune system and for kidney conditions and conditions of the liver and heart, which can be caused by infection. For low-income countries in Africa, this presents a big challenge: at least 41 percent of the population of sub-Saharan Africa live less than $ 1.90 a day; The national minimum wage in Nigeria is $ 40 a month.

Showing readiness to insert the financial gap, the government of Nigeria voted Earlier this week for 4.8 billion Nairai ($ 3.2 million) to be released to get 150,000 HIV medical kits. But although a good sign for a short term, it is nowhere close to what is needed to maintain the country’s treatment and prevention program in the event of a long -term withdrawal of Washington support.

If the US financial frost continues after the 90-day break, many people living with HIV in Africa are probably unable to pay out of the pocket for the medicines and lab tests they need. “Once someone is fully medication and the person has reached an indestructible male burden, that means that man cannot hand over the virus,” says Isah. “But do they miss their treatment and medicines, the viral load can increase again, causing the endangerment of their families and loved ones.”