The Trump administration stops the distribution of HIV drugs in destitute countries

The Trump administration instructed organizations in other countries to stop paying medication on HIV purchased using US AID, even if the medicines have already been obtained and sitting in local clinics.

The directive is part of the wider freezing of foreign assist initiated last week. It includes the president’s emergency plan in the field of AIDS assistance, a global health program initiated by George W. Bush, which is credited with saving over 25 million lives around the world.

The administration has already passed to stop Pepfar funds from moving to clinics, hospitals and other organizations in low -income countries.

The meetings are canceled, and patients are reversed from clinics, according to people with knowledge about a situation that was afraid of revenge if they spoke in public. Many people from HIV are facing rapid breaks in their treatment.

But most federal officials are also on strict orders not to communicate with external partners, which leads to confusion and anxiety, according to several people with knowledge about the situation.

US officials were also told to stop providing technical assistance to national health ministries.

“The partners with whom we work are shocked and do not know what to do because their mission saving life and commitment has been violated,” said Asia Russell, executive director of the Health Gap group.

Behind schedule on Sunday evening, according to the Mail viewed by the Novel York Times, employees of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention were instructed with immediate effect to stop communication with staff in the World Health Organization.

Later, they were not even in the same conference room – real or virtual – as employees or participate in e -mail conversations in which employees are also involved.

Some said they were too afraid to contact their friends who consider friends, even if they said goodbye and would not like to be identified for fear of revenge.

On Monday afternoon, officials around the world were notified that Pepfar data systems will be closed at 18:00 Eastern – about three hours after receiving the E -Mail message – immediately closing access to all sets of data, reports and analytical tools.

“Users should prioritize key documents and data,” said E -Mail viewed by The Times.

The message caused speculation that the program would not resume, because its future was already questioned.

Some Republican Senators have been campaign against Pepfar’s re -authorization for five years, claiming that the program promoted abortions. In March, the program was renovated for a year.

Without treatment, virus levels in people with HIV will grow rapidly, rapping the immune system of infected people and increasing the chances that they will spread the virus to others.

About one in three non -treated pregnant women can pass the virus to their children.

Interrupted treatment can also lead to the appearance of resistant strains that can spread all over the world.

One study estimated that if Pepfar ended, in the next decade in the same decade in South Africa, 600,000 people would have lost. And this nation is based on Pepfar for only 20 percent of the HIV budget. Some poorer countries are almost completely dependent on the program.

“This is another domino in the destructive influence of harmful freezing on programs, leaving life hanging in balance,” said Jirair Ratevosian, who was the head of the staff of Pepfar during Biden administration.