"People Will Die": Medical Expert Sounds Alarm Over Trump’s HIV Funding Shutdown
- A renowned medical expert has detailed the consequences of US President Donald Trump's recent executive order halting all US foreign aid
- The halt will temporarily last for three months while the new administration tries to get a hold of the situation
- Only war-torn Palestine and Israel were exempted from the halt order that has sent reverberating shockwaves across the world
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A prominent Nigerian medical sage Dr. Chinonso Egemba has detailed the devastating effect of the United States' decision to halt all foreign aid, including the one that caters for people living with the highly infectious and dangerous illness Human Immuno-deficiency Virus (HIV) and Acquired Immuno-deficiency Syndrome (AIDS).
The new US administration, led by the impulsive and unpredictable President Donald Trump, explained that the reason for the halt was to study and comprehensively examine the country's humanitarian spending.
Source: Facebook
HIV is an incurable disease which, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), has claimed approximately 42.3 million lives globally since the start of the epidemic, making it a major public health concern with ongoing transmission in all countries.
Statistics from the United Nations organisation show that currently, around 39.9 million people are living with HIV worldwide.
In 2003, under the presidency of George W. Bush, the United States started President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) programme designed to curb the disease transmission and save lives worldwide.
Doctor sounds warning over US HIV funding halt
Dr Egemba, popularly known as Aproko doctor online, has analysed the morbid implications of the temporary stoppage of the funding for the viral disease.
He detailed that the funding supplies Nigeria antiretroviral drugs, a medication which prevents HIV from multiplying and reduces its amount in the body. It suppresses the level of the virus to the point that it cannot be transmitted to another person.
Aproko doctor posited that unless the Nigerian federal government steps in to fill the void, transmission will go to an all-time high, and so will the mortality rate.
In a post on X (formerly Twitter), the medical practitioner wrote:
"Trump cutting funds to PEPFAR, what does it mean? Nigeria has the world's second highest number of people living with HIV. If you don't treat HIV, almost everyone affected will develop AIDS. To treat HIV, they need ART drugs and these drugs have become so effective that a HIV positive person can no longer transmit the virus if the level of the virus is suppressed."
He then lists the immediate consequences of such a landmark plug-puling by the US government, stating:
"Now that donation has been cut, what does this mean? If Nigeria doesn't rise to the occasion and take charge: 1. Infections will rise, currently it's close to 200000 infections every year. 2. People will die from AIDS, drugs are not available. 3. Our already burdened healthcare system will be burdened further which might be make or break."
He concluded by charging Nigeria to stop dependency on foreign donations to cater for the health of its citizens.
He said:
"These are just a snippet of the ripple effect. Let's not forget that diseases like tuberculosis and malaria are being affected also by the pause of funding. Now is the time to take our health system seriously, the second best time was yesterday. Nigeria can not continue to depend on donations for its own healthcare"
Trump's executive orders that may affect Nigeria
Meanwhile, Legit.ng also previously reported that President Trump issued over 200 executive orders on his first day in office.
Trump's executive orders cut across immigration, climate, pardons, and foreign policy, with many expected to be contested.
However, some of these executive orders signed by the US President would have an impact on Nigeria and other African countries.
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Source: Legit.ng
