MAKING IT WORSE

On his first day back in office, President Trump ordered a 90-day freeze on almost all U.S. foreign aid.

- - BY GAVIN YAMEY

Funding stopped for programs that prevent and treat a range of deadly infectious diseases, including HIV, malaria, Marburg virus, mpox, and tuberculosis. In Zambia, distribution of lifesaving medical supplies to treat childhood diarrhea and bleeding in pregnant women came to a halt.

At one U.S.-funded hospital in the Mae La refugee camp on the Thai-Myanmar border, 60 patients were sent home.

Distressing reports of people being denied their HIV medicines led Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who oversees U.S. aid, to issue an emergency temporary waiver that-in theory, at least allowed U.S. funds to be used to pay for HIV antiretroviral medications under the U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, a highly successful program launched by George W. Bush that has saved more than 25 million lives. But the Department of State later said the waiver covers HIV treatment and services for preventing transmission of HIV from mother to children, but not other kinds of preventive services.