HIV risk grows as funding cuts close key clinics – UNAIDS
UNAIDS Executive Director Winnie Byanyima has raised the alarm over a potential surge in HIV infections among key populations, as clinics shut down due to global funding cuts.
Speaking at a media briefing in South Africa on Friday, Byanyima said the most affected groups include young women, gay men, transgender women, sex workers, and people who inject drugs.
“These groups already had higher infection rates, and with clinics closing, infections among them are expected to rise,” she warned.
“We are saying to the world: we must continue to fight this disease together. We are calling for the resourcing of the HIV response.”
Byanyima called on international donors to maintain support for HIV programs, stressing that while the world has made significant progress, there is still no cure or vaccine.
She also emphasized the urgent need for Africa to scale up local medicine production.
"We need this continent to produce medicines for our people. We cannot end HIV/AIDS or tackle other diseases, especially infectious ones, if we keep buying medicines from India or elsewhere.”
Byanyima said integrating African markets and harmonizing regulatory standards would help pharmaceutical companies manufacture for a larger regional market.
"This is not just important, it’s urgent. If we could produce essential items like condoms, PrEP, and ARVs locally, we wouldn’t just roll them out more affordably, we’d create jobs. Why should other countries profit from our diseases?" she said.
South Africa currently leads the world in HIV treatment, with over six million people on antiretroviral therapy.
Byanyima praised this achievement but acknowledged the impact of recent global funding cuts.
She expressed confidence that South Africa would stay on track toward its treatment goals, and said UNAIDS is closely monitoring innovative approaches across the continent.
"How do you get people on treatment, keep them on treatment, and what models help us respond better? That’s why I’m here, to look for good ideas and share them globally.”
Byanyima also voiced concern that progress in preventing mother-to-child transmission could be reversed in some African countries due to shrinking donor support.
"This continent has the highest numbers of mother-to-child transmissions and has also been the most dependent on external funding. So yes, we worry about a possible surge.”
While she welcomed continued U.S. support for PEPFAR in its new budget proposal, she urged full funding of major global initiatives like the Global Fund.
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