Almost 136 000 babies are expected to be born with HIV in the next three months, mostly in Africa, because of the Trump administration’s “stop work order” on foreign assistance, according to a top research foundation.
The Andelson Office of Public Policy said children in South Africa, Mozambique and Uganda will be the most affected, and it could lead to a rise in new infections of a disease that already kills more than half a million people a year.
Trump’s directive, part of a broader freeze on foreign aid initiated last week, means organizations could have to stop disbursing HIV drugs bought with US funds from the President’s Emergency Plan for Aids Relief, known as PEPFAR.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio late Tuesday approved some waivers for “lifesaving” emergency aid, but it’s not clear yet what that entails and if PEPFAR is exempt, leaving health workers scrambling to figure out if they can reopen
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