Trump’s tragic’ aid cuts will come back to haunt the US’

Donald Trump has been accused of giving millions of people a death sentence” following revelations in The Independent about the impact on the Aids pandemic of his decision to dismantle USAID.

- DAVID MADDOX

Veteran LGBT+ and HIV campaigner Peter Tatchell joined leading politicians and charities in expressing his disgust at the massive cuts by the White House, which are facing a legal challenge in the US.

Mr Tatchell told The Independent: “Trump’s cut to US-funded HIV projects in developing countries is a death sentence to millions of people. It will reverse declining rates of HIV infection and death.

“The goal of ending the HIV pandemic by 2030 now looks out of reach. This is one of the world’s most reckless, self-defeating health policy decisions. It will come back to haunt the US. So long as HIV infection exists anywhere, through travel and immigration US citizens will be at risk.”

The reaction follows revelations in The Independent this week that the dismantling of USAID has all but ended hopes of defeating the global Aids pandemic once and for all.

The new figures revealed by The Independent show the number of Aids-related deaths could jump from six million to 10 million in the next five years unless funding is reinstated, according to forecasts from the UN Aids agency.

The unprecedented disruption to global HIV programmes by the US is also projected to lead to more than three million extra Aids orphans than previously expected by the end of the decade.

Only last year, the UN said a goal to end the Aids pandemic by the end of the decade was in reach, equating to a 90 per cent reduction in new infections and deaths.