SYDNEY, March 27, 2025 (BSS/XINHUA) - An Australian medical institute warns
in its latest study that international funding cuts for HIV programs could
cause 10.75 million new infections and 2.93 million preventable deaths
between 2025 and 2030.

Published in The Lancet HIV on Wednesday, the study, conducted by Melbourne-
based Burnet Institute, models the impact of a projected 24 percent reduction
in global HIV funding by 2026, following announced aid cuts of 8 percent to
70 percent by key donors, including the United States, Britain, France,
Germany, and the Netherlands, who collectively fund over 90 percent of global
HIV assistance.

The United States, the largest contributor to global HIV funding, halted all
assistance on Jan. 20. The loss of the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS
Relief (PEPFAR), combined with other funding cuts, now threatens to reverse
progress toward ending HIV/AIDS as a global health crisis by 2030, according
to new modeling from Burnet Institute.

The Burnet Institute study highlights the disproportionate impact on low- and
middle-income countries, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, and vulnerable
communities.

The study's co-author Rowan Martin Huges, Burnet Institute's senior research
fellow, said countries heavily reliant on international aid, such as
Mozambique, South Africa, Uganda, and Zimbabwe, would suffer the most.

With nearly half of global HIV funding coming from international aid, 54
percent of which is from PEPFAR. Experts warn that without urgent
intervention, millions of lives remain at risk.