W.H.O WARNS OF LOOMING HIV TREATMENT SHORTAGE IN NIGERIA, 7 OTHER COUNTRIES. (PHOTO).

 

The World Health Organization (WHO) has raised an alarm over an impending shortage of HIV treatments in Nigeria and seven other countries. This shortage is attributed to the Trump administration's decision to pause U.S. foreign aid, which has "substantially disrupted" the supply of HIV treatments [1).

According to WHO's Director-General, Tedros Ghebreyesus, the affected countries, which include Haiti, Kenya, Lesotho, South Sudan, Burkina Faso, Mali, and Ukraine, could exhaust their HIV treatment supplies in the coming months.

Ghebreyesus warned that disruptions to HIV programs could undermine two decades of progress, leading to over 10 million additional HIV cases and three million HIV-related deaths.

The U.S. foreign aid pause has also impacted efforts to tackle other diseases, including polio, malaria, and tuberculosis. Furthermore, the WHO-coordinated Global Measles and Rubella Laboratory Network faces imminent shutdown, which is particularly concerning given the resurgence of measles in the United States.

The WHO has called on the United States to ensure an orderly transition of funding, allowing affected countries to find alternative sources of funding.

In a separate statement, the WHO revealed that funding shortages could force 80% of its supported essential health care services in Afghanistan to close. As of March 4, 167 health facilities had already shut down due to funding shortages.

The United States' plans to exit the WHO have also led to budget cuts, with the WHO reducing its funding target for emergency operations to $872 million from $1.2 billion in the 2026-2027 budget period.