Recent decisions by the United States to suspend funding to Ethiopia’s national HIV response will be “particularly severe”, affecting more than 270,000 beneficiaries across the country’s Oromia and Gambella regions, as well as Addis Ababa, the Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) warned.
The warning came after the Trump administration froze foreign assistance, shutting down much of USAID’s humanitarian, development, and security programs worldwide.
Accordingly, Ethiopia’s Ministry of Health (MoH) on Wednesday instructed health bureaux to halt all activities and payments related to employees hired under the U.S. government budget support, citing the termination of funding from the USAID.
In a statement released on Thursday, the UNAIDS said that the “pause of U.S. assistance to community programs and drop-in centers serving women, young girls, and priority populations at higher risk of HIV infection means tens of thousands of individuals will no longer be able to access critical services.”
The services include HIV testing, anti-retroviral treatment, pre-exposure prophylaxis for HIV prevention, and screenings for tuberculosis, sexually transmitted infections, and support to address gender-based violence.
The agency further noted that “the closure of many drop-in centers and the termination of outreach workers’ and peer educators’ contracts will effectively shut off support to vulnerable groups.”
USAID said the disruption of service in Addis Ababa, Oromia, and Gambella will put 235,560 people at risk of new HIV infections and sexually transmitted diseases.
MG/as/APA