HIV -Infected People in South Africa Most Affected by USAID Suspension

(3 Minutes Read)

In 2024, the think tank Human Sciences Research Council of South Africa released figures showing the gravity of the situation.  Majola’s province accounts for 16% of the HIV prevalence in the country with at least 1,300 young people estimated to contract the disease every week.

South Africa has the highest number of HIV-infected people in the world. KwaZulu-Natal had the highest number of people living with HIV in South Africa in 2022, about 1.9 million followed by Majola Province, which had a good number of people receiving treatment daily.

In 2024, the think tank Human Sciences Research Council of South Africa released figures showing the gravity of the situation.  Majola’s province accounts for 16% of the HIV prevalence in the country with at least 1,300 young people estimated to contract the disease every week.

The study further revealed that 5.5 million South Africans are getting antiretroviral treatment. After Trump suspended the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, or PEPFAR, treatment of these people’s treatment hung in balance. The US contributes USD 400 million a year to South Africa’s HIV programs and nongovernmental organizations, about 17% of the total funding, according to the Health Ministry. Globally, PEPFAR is credited with saving at least 26 million lives since its inception in 2003, according to the U.N. AIDS agency.

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Last week, a federal judge ordered the Trump administration to temporarily lift the funding freeze, while the U.S. Embassy in South Africa said PEPFAR projects would resume under a limited waiver. However, aid groups dealing with HIV have already shuttered with closure notices hanging at the entrances and PEPFAR-branded vehicles standing idle, with patients diverted to struggling health facilities.