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News
When budgets got slashed, treatment survived — but prevention didn't. The Global Fund's annual report reveals that cuts to HIV, TB, and malaria prevention programs far outpaced reductions in treatment services in 2025. The short-term tradeoff may be setting the stage for a dangerous wave of new infections down the road.
When wealthy nations — led by the U.S. — slashed foreign aid, countries scrambled to protect one thing: keeping existing patients alive. According to the Global Fund's latest annual report, that meant treatment programs largely held their ground in 2025, but prevention efforts took a serious hit across HIV, tuberculosis, and malaria.
Global Fund CEO Peter Sands warned that while the worst-case scenarios were avoided in the short term, the decision to deprioritize prevention will have lasting consequences. "The fact that prevention programs across all three diseases have been cut — that will have consequences," he said.
By the Numbers:
Why it matters: Treating existing patients buys time, but prevention is what bends the curve on infectious disease. With PrEP access shrinking and TB case-finding disrupted, the global health community may be trading a short-term win for a long-term crisis.
