(AP) — The head of the U.N. AIDS agency said Monday the number of new HIV infections could jump more than six times by 2029 if American support of the biggest AIDS program is dropped, warning that millions of people could die and more resistant strains of the disease could emerge.
In an interview with The Associated Press, UNAIDS Executive Director Winnie Byanyima said HIV infections have been falling in recent years, with just 1.3 million new cases recorded in 2023, a 60% decline since the virus peaked in 1995.
But since President Donald Trump’s announcement the U.S. would freeze all foreign assistance for 90 days, Byanyima said officials estimate that by 2029, there could be 8.7 million people newly infected with HIV, a tenfold jump in AIDS-related deaths — to 6.3 million — and an additional 3.4 million children made orphans.
Sadly Trump probably still thinks AIDS only affects “The Gays™”
Or black people
Or DEI people
Translated to right-wing populist
Sounds really bad for Africa, especially South Africa where the HIV/AIDS rate per capita is the worst in the world. South Africa has said USAID only makes up 17% (which if true is in itself an enormous amount for one sovereign nation to depend on others, much less one single source) of it’s health and human services, yet, almost every HIV clinic in the country has shut down since funding stopped, which begs the question, just how much of South Africa’s entire HIV/AIDS budget was being paid for by USAID.
HIV infections could jump over 6 times
So they would . . . Sextuple?
I’ll see myself out . . .
International aid, Byanyima said, “helped an American company to innovate, to come up with something that will pay them millions and millions
That’s the problem: It wasn’t enough. Companies like Gilead are only interested in returns of billions and billions.
Getting even $100 million back (profit) after spending 10 years developing a drug would be considered a huge waste of time. They only get to keep the patent for ~20 years which means such a drug would only be returning ~5 million a year… A drop in the bucket
The US subsidizes the cost of developing life-saving drugs like this precisely because it isn’t economical to do so otherwise. USAID also guarantees minimum sale amounts of US-funded/developed drugs.
Without USAID a big part of the benefit to working with the US to develop new drugs/treatments is gone.
Read a theory on a Facebook post today that between Putin, Xi and Trump they plan to reduce the world population by half as it’s easier to control. Putin takes Europe, Xi takes Asia, Trump the Americas. A reasoning for getting rid of medical aid, withdrawal from the WHO and muzzling of the CDC. Sounds plausible?
Please stop.
Just stop.
These stupid make belief conspiracy theories aren’t helpful. Yes, trump is a fucking tyrant, but just inventing crap doesn’t help
