Trump Administration Pulls the Plug on PEPFAR Funds for South Africa
Geopolitics just hit the pharmacy, and it looks like a decades-long health initiative is getting the cold shoulder.
What started under George W. Bush as a massive global effort to fight HIV is officially hitting a wall. The Trump administration is winding down PEPFAR funding in South Africa, citing policy gripes—specifically claims that the country hasn't done enough to address the treatment of white Afrikaners.
For context, South Africa has the highest number of people living with HIV in the world. PEPFAR has funneled over $8 billion into the region since 2003, helping keep millions alive and slowing the spread of the virus. Now, the money tap is being tightened because the U.S. State Department isn't happy with the local government's policy progress.
While Cyril Ramaphosa is busy trying to bring in Gilead's new long-lasting prevention drugs to fill the gap, health experts are sweating. Ending this funding could potentially erase two decades of progress against the virus. The administration insists the program was always meant to be temporary, but the timing is causing a massive headache for everyone involved.
Diplomacy is officially being done through the bottom of a pill bottle.
Source: Semafor
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