The United States President, Donald Trump, has concluded plans to stop the supply of lifesaving drugs for HIV and tuberculosis in Nigeria and other developing nations supported by the Agency for International Development (USAID).
Trump’s directive which is part of a broader freeze on foreign aid initiated last week, also affected the distribution of malaria and tuberculosis drugs as well as medical supplies for newborn babies to more than 25 million people residing in poor countries.
The administration had already moved to stop the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) funding from moving to clinics, hospitals, and other organizations in low-income countries.
As gathered, U.S. officials have been ordered to stop providing technical assistance to national ministries of health. Contractors and partners who work with USAID confirmed this development on Tuesday after they received a memo to stop work immediately.
One such memo went to Chemonics, a large U.S. consulting firm that works with USAID on the supply of medicines for a range of conditions worldwide.
According to a source, the memo covers the firm’s work on HIV, malaria, and tuberculosis as well as contraception and maternal and child health supplies.
Former Head of USAID, Atul Gawande described the governments action as catastrophic saying donated drug supplies keeping 20 million people living with HIV alive will be stopped today?
” Interruptions in treatment for diseases mean that patients risk getting sick, as well as, in the case of HIV in particular, transmitting the virus to others. It also means drug-resistant strains may emerge”
” Other partners had also received notices that meant they would be unable to deliver medicines to clinics even if they had them in stock or open the clinics if they are funded by the U.S. that includes organizations working with 6.5 million orphans and vulnerable children with HIV in 23 countries,” Gawande added.
In an Email sent to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention two days ago, employees were instructed to stop communicating with personnel at the World Health Organization.
They were later directed not even to be in the same meeting room, real-time or virtual as W.H.O. employees or to participate in email conversations in which global health organization staff members are also engaged.
This came a week after President Trump issued a mandate to terminate the government’s membership in the WHO for allegedly mishandling the Coronavirus pandemic in 2020 and other international health crises as part of his executive orders signed after assuming office.
Trump ordered a 90-day pause in foreign development assistance on Jan. 20, the day he took the oath of office, pending assessments of efficiencies and consistency with U.S. foreign policy.
His administration has also put on leave about 60 senior career officials at the USAID.
The U.S government’s actions threaten billions of dollars of life-saving aid from the world’s largest single donor. In fiscal year 2023, the U.S. disbursed $72 billion in assistance. It provided 42% of all humanitarian aid tracked by the United Nations in 2024.