The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) warns that the recent USAID funding freeze is having disastrous effects on the overall HIV/AIDS response in Haiti, particularly on treatment and prevention.

The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) reports that due to this freeze, most pre-exposure prophylaxis services, essential for reducing HIV infections, have had to be suspended, affecting 80% of interventions, with the exception of pregnant and breastfeeding women.

The National HIV Control Program estimates that at least 35,000 people living with HIV and receiving antiretroviral treatment are affected by the freeze on health services previously funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID-Haiti).

The National HIV Control Program projects a 30-50% increase in new HIV infections in the absence of prevention activities.

HIV/AIDS affects approximately 140,000 people in Haiti.

The funding freeze has also suspended most community-based interventions, increasing vulnerability to stigma, discrimination, and sexual and gender-based violence, while severely impacting access to healthcare, education, nutrition, housing, and psychosocial support.

The health sector, as part of the broader humanitarian response, requires $43.5 million to address urgent needs for health services and support for vulnerable people in Haiti. The Ministry of Public Health, the World Health Organization, and UNAIDS are exploring solutions to ensure the continuity of health services.

IH/ iciHaiti