WHO Warns, Nigeria and Seven Other Countries Could Face HIV Treatment Shortages

 

The World Health Organization (WHO) has listed Nigeria among eight countries at risk of running out of HIV treatments in the coming months due to disruptions caused by the U.S. government's pause on foreign aid.

According to WHO Director-General Tedros Ghebreyesus, the affected countries—Nigeria, Haiti, Kenya, Lesotho, South Sudan, Burkina Faso, Mali, and Ukraine—could soon exhaust their supply of life-saving HIV medication.

“The disruptions to HIV programs could undo 20 years of progress,” Ghebreyesus warned at a press conference.

He further stated that if the crisis is not addressed, it could lead to over 10 million additional HIV cases and three million HIV-related deaths worldwide.

The supply chain disruption stems from the Trump administration’s decision to halt U.S. foreign aid, a move that has significantly impacted global health programs tackling HIV, polio, malaria, and tuberculosis.

The funding pause has also placed the WHO-coordinated Global Measles and Rubella Laboratory Network—a system of over 700 testing sites worldwide—at risk of shutting down. This comes at a time when measles cases are rising in the U.S.

Beyond HIV treatment shortages, the funding crisis could force 80% of WHO-supported essential health care services in Afghanistan to close. The agency reported that 167 health facilities had already shut down as of March 4, with over 220 more at risk of closing by June.

The U.S.’s planned withdrawal from the WHO has also forced the UN agency to freeze hiring and cut budgets. In response, WHO announced that it would reduce its funding target for emergency operations from $1.2 billion to $872 million for the 2026-2027 period.

Ghebreyesus emphasized that while countries have the right to reallocate funding, the U.S. has a responsibility to ensure its withdrawal is done in an "orderly and humane" manner, allowing affected nations to secure alternative funding sources.