amfAR’s Public Policy Office drew on data released by PEPFAR to assess changes in services and impacts to the HIV workforce following the U.S. foreign aid freeze
The Journal of the International AIDS Society has published a new analysis from amfAR’s Andelson Office of Public Policy on the impact of the United States foreign aid disruptions on HIV service delivery in countries that receive support from PEPFAR (the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief).
While complementary, the analysis differs from amfAR’s PEPFAR Pulse Study; this paper compared PEPFAR’s own monitoring data, whereas the Pulse Study surveyed program implementers on the ground in nearly 50 countries.
Lead author Brian Honermann, deputy director of amfAR’s Public Policy Office, and team assessed changes between 2024 and 2025 across key indicators of HIV service delivery, including the number of people on treatment, HIV testing and diagnoses, prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT), and PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis) initiations. The analysis finds the disruptions led to significant reductions to essential services in the HIV response across over 30,000 facilities worldwide.
Its findings include:
- The PEPFAR-supported workforce declined substantially between 2024 and 2025. Total staff employed in HIV services was reduced by over 60,000.
- HIV testing declined by 14 million tests from one year to the next. The analysis also noted declines in HIV diagnoses, in people who started treatment, and people retained in care.
- PrEP initiations fell across all facility types by 33%
Read the article here.
Explore amfAR’s PEPFAR database tool here and find country-by-country fact sheets here.
