Around 77 000 fewer children worldwide received United States (US)-supported HIV treatment in the year to October 2025 compared to the previous fiscal year, according to a study presented at the AIDS 2026 conference in Rio de Janeiro this Tuesday.
The research analysed data from the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) across 21 countries and found declines in US-supported paediatric treatment in 20 of them.
South Africa (SA) recorded the largest absolute drop, with around 30 000 fewer supported children, a 45% decline. Significant drops were also recorded in Zimbabwe, Kenya, and Malawi. In five countries, Uganda, Haiti, Zambia, SA, and Kenya, the declines were steeper than predicted trajectories.
The study noted that other agencies or national governments may have stepped in to cover some affected children. When including US “central support” funding for national and sub-national levels rather than direct clinic-level care, the drop was around 55 000 children.
“Children cannot wait,” said Kenneth Ngure,Professor of Global Health at Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology and co-author of the study.
Health advocate Susan Wairimu Metta, working in Kisumu West, Kenya, confirmed the impact on local communities, noting that funding cuts have created real gaps in pediatric HIV care on the ground.
The US State Department did not respond to requests for comment on the study’s findings.
–Ruters/ChannelAfrica–
