News24 | Trump slashed HIV projects. Will the US kill the fund that fed them too?

Chaos and devastation is the position South African USAID-funded health projects find themselves in after the Trump administration closed them down overnight on 26 February.

But it was not only them. There were 5 800 such projects around the world. 

The bigger question now is: what will happen to the US government's Aids fund, Pepfar, where most of the money for these projects came from? Will that too close down?

On 25 March, the US Congress will vote to reauthorise Pepfar - or not. How will they vote?

And will the US pull out of the Global Fund for HIV, tuberculosis and malaria?

Mia Malan puts these questions to the 2022/23 Pepfar head of staff, Jirair Ratevosian.

He is now a Hock infectious disease fellow at Duke University's Global Health Institute and also the chief author of a report that explains how to lower Pepfar's costs by 20% over five years. 

This story was produced by the Bhekisisa Centre for Health Journalism. Sign up for the newsletter.

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