US President Donald Trump has significantly gutted AIDS healthcare in the US and worldwide at a disastrous time.
As the world marks World AIDS Day, it's essential to highlight how the current health policy is severely harming minority groups. In January of this year, Trump issued an executive order that halted all foreign aid and several other policies that jeopardized the health outcomes of vulnerable populations.
The cuts were far-reaching yet highly specific, reducing resources for short- and long-term health research conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, universities, and community groups in the US and around the world. Trump's administration curtailed or ended funding for programs like the President’s Emergency Plan For AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), which has been instrumental in combating HIV/AIDS globally.
These drastic cuts disproportionately affected several distinct yet overlapping populations: LGBTQ+ individuals, immigrants, sex workers, and people living with HIV/AIDS. The immediate consequences of these cuts are more economic than medical, leading to a crisis of employment for many individuals in the sector. Research has shown that people who identify as LGBTQ+ and/or live with HIV are often prone to poverty.
The impact is being felt globally, from South Africa to Uganda, where organizations providing essential services have been forced to close their doors due to lack of funding. In some cases, staff were reduced from dozens to just four, with workers struggling to make ends meet. The US saw a significant drop in LGBTQ+ employment, with many workers losing their jobs due to the cuts.
The situation is further complicated by the fact that the current US health policy has made it impossible for people to access essential services like PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis) and HIV treatment. This will have severe long-term consequences, including an increased risk of HIV transmission and a lack of access to necessary medication.
One potential solution is lenacapavir, an injectable drug that can prevent HIV transmission for six months. However, the US administration's efforts to roll out this life-saving medication have been hindered by the drastic cuts to global health programs.
The effects of these cuts are far-reaching and devastating, with potentially dire consequences for the lives and livelihoods of countless individuals around the world.
As the world marks World AIDS Day, it's essential to highlight how the current health policy is severely harming minority groups. In January of this year, Trump issued an executive order that halted all foreign aid and several other policies that jeopardized the health outcomes of vulnerable populations.
The cuts were far-reaching yet highly specific, reducing resources for short- and long-term health research conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, universities, and community groups in the US and around the world. Trump's administration curtailed or ended funding for programs like the President’s Emergency Plan For AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), which has been instrumental in combating HIV/AIDS globally.
These drastic cuts disproportionately affected several distinct yet overlapping populations: LGBTQ+ individuals, immigrants, sex workers, and people living with HIV/AIDS. The immediate consequences of these cuts are more economic than medical, leading to a crisis of employment for many individuals in the sector. Research has shown that people who identify as LGBTQ+ and/or live with HIV are often prone to poverty.
The impact is being felt globally, from South Africa to Uganda, where organizations providing essential services have been forced to close their doors due to lack of funding. In some cases, staff were reduced from dozens to just four, with workers struggling to make ends meet. The US saw a significant drop in LGBTQ+ employment, with many workers losing their jobs due to the cuts.
The situation is further complicated by the fact that the current US health policy has made it impossible for people to access essential services like PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis) and HIV treatment. This will have severe long-term consequences, including an increased risk of HIV transmission and a lack of access to necessary medication.
One potential solution is lenacapavir, an injectable drug that can prevent HIV transmission for six months. However, the US administration's efforts to roll out this life-saving medication have been hindered by the drastic cuts to global health programs.
The effects of these cuts are far-reaching and devastating, with potentially dire consequences for the lives and livelihoods of countless individuals around the world.
It's like, can't believe what's happening 
. US is supposed to be a leader in global health but Trump's admin is just gutting all the progress made on AIDS healthcare 
. Minority groups are gonna suffer the most, it's like they're being left behind 
. PEPFAR was doing so much good globally, now it's being phased out 
. People living with HIV/AIDS and LGBTQ+ community are already struggling with poverty, this is just gonna make things worse 
.
the US has always been at the forefront of global health initiatives, but now it seems like they're taking steps back 
lenacapavir might be our only hope for prevention but without the funding, how can we even get that medication out to people who need it? 
.
.
.
.
The way Trump is handling AIDS healthcare in the US and globally is super shady 
. I mean, it's not like he's trying to help or anything 
. The fact that it's disproportionately affecting LGBTQ+ individuals, immigrants, sex workers, and people living with HIV/AIDS is just heartbreaking 
. Aids is a serious issue and we should be trying to help each other out, not make things worse 
.
? Are we really going to let people suffer because of some executive order? It's just so... uncaring 
.
and I saw this news about AIDS healthcare being gutted in the US 
. Do you think there's a way for the US to make up for this or what?! 
like what happened to those ppl who rely on pefpar now? 
my friend's cousin is a sex worker in nyc and he said his clients are already super struggling because of the cuts 
its not just about the meds tho, its also about the research and the community groups who help spread awareness...i feel so bad for all those ppl who cant get the care they need anymore 
. The fact that organizations are being forced to close due to lack of funding is just heartbreaking 
. It's like, they're already fighting an uphill battle, and then you cut their funding even further? 
. Countries in Africa and elsewhere are feeling the pinch, too 
. They can't afford to access basic healthcare services like PrEP or HIV treatment 
.
. The consequences are real, and they're affecting people's lives in the worst possible way 
. We need to take action and make sure that these cuts aren't rolled back