UN Warns Of 2K New HIV Infections Each Day Due To US Aid Freeze

Reuters (3/24, Le Poidevin) reports the United Nations AIDS agency warned Monday that there “could be 2,000 new HIV infections a day across the world and a ten-fold increase in related deaths if funding frozen by the United States is not restored or replaced.” The disruption to health funding and the impact on broader services has had “a devastating impact on people living with HIV/AIDS, UNAIDS executive director Winnie Byanyima told reporters in Geneva.” She said, “This sudden withdrawal of US funding has been shutting down many clinics, laying off thousands of health workers. ... All this means that we expect to see new infections rising. UNAIDS has estimated that we could see 2,000 new infections every day.”