Pepfar Cuts Leave 77,000 Fewer Children on HIV Treatment as Donor Funding Falls 25%
Updated
Updated · The Guardian · Aug 4
Pepfar Cuts Leave 77,000 Fewer Children on HIV Treatment as Donor Funding Falls 25%
3 articles · Updated · The Guardian · Aug 4
Summary
77,000 fewer children living with HIV received Pepfar-supported treatment in fiscal 2025 than in 2024, a 14% global drop, according to data presented at Aids 2026.
US funding cuts drove the decline: a UNAids-KFF report said donor government financing for the global HIV response fell 25% in 2025 from a year earlier, entirely because of reduced US support.
46 countries surveyed by amfAR reported broad service disruption, with more than half of Pepfar implementing partners losing at least one award and more than 1,700 HIV service sites closing.
South Africa showed the sharpest child-treatment hit in the report, with a 45% drop and more than 30,000 fewer children receiving programme support.
The findings add to warnings that African governments cannot replace Pepfar's scale despite raising domestic spending, putting decades of HIV progress at risk.