About $12 million worth of HIV prevention drugs and contraceptives is probably going to waste.
They’ve been stuck in warehouses since January, ever since President Trump pulled the plug on the U.S. Agency for International Development, or USAID.
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The Washington Post reported that these supplies are just sitting in storage in Belgium and the UAE, untouched and unused.
They’re planning to toss out millions in critical supplies
Someone familiar with what’s going on told the Post, “The mandate that [the USAID negotiator] has been given is ‘get us money for it, and if you can’t do that, we’re just going to trash it.’”
What’s just sitting there in storage is shocking
We’re talking about more than 26 million condoms. Around 2 million injectable birth control doses. Millions of birth control pills. Hundreds of thousands of implantable contraceptives. And over 50,000 vials of HIV prevention meds.
All of it was supposed to help people.
A lot of countries were supposed to receive this aid
Eighteen different countries had been expecting these supplies. They were already purchased and planned for distribution.
But now those governments may never receive them.
Government says this report isn’t accurate
When asked about the situation, a senior State Department official told The Independent the story is “full of inaccuracies”.
Health experts are calling the decision unconscionable
Atul Gawande, a former assistant USAID administrator, told the Post the idea of destroying the meds is “inconceivable.”
Former USAID head Andrew Natsios didn’t hold back either. He called it “nuts.”
“At this point, just give it away instead of destroying it, for heaven’s sakes,” he said.
Trump said it was about American interests
Back in January, Trump said he was stopping the funding because USAID, which mainly provides humanitarian aid overseas, was “not aligned with American interests.”
Foreign aid cuts weren’t just limited to this
This whole thing is actually part of a bigger plan.
Trump’s administration had also been getting ready to ask Congress to slash $8.3 billion from other foreign aid programs, including ones focused on climate efforts and LGBTQ+ rights.
HIV progress around the world could take a major hit
According to The Independent, stopping this kind of support could mess up the global fight against AIDS.
AIDS-related deaths might rise from six million to ten million over the next five years if aid doesn’t come back.
There could also be 3.4 million more children losing at least one parent to AIDS. And another 600,000 babies could be born with HIV by 2030.
“All the gains that we’ve seen over the last 20 years will start being steadily reversed,” said Professor Francois Venter, a top HIV doctor in South Africa.
Real people are already feeling the impact
Hadja is a 27-year-old mom of three living in Uganda. She told The Independent she can’t get the meds she needs anymore since the shutdown.
“Our lives depend on medicine – without it, our lives are shortened,” she said. “If I die, my children will suffer.”
