An HIV/AIDS expert has warned that the sudden halt in foreign funding following a recent United States policy shift could reverse years of progress in Nigeria’s fight against the disease and expose young people to renewed risk.
Dr Nandul Durfa, Managing Director of Reach Care Foundation, an HIV/AIDS care and support organisation, on Sunday in Abuja that the Federal Government must urgently take over funding of HIV/AIDS services to prevent a resurgence of the epidemic.
Durfa was reacting to a notification from the Institute of Human Virology, Nigeria, informing partner organisations of the immediate termination of funding agreements due to financial constraints.
In the letter, signed by the institute’s Chief Executive Officer, Dr Patrick Dakum, the organisation said it had been compelled to end all existing contracts with partner organisations with immediate effect.
NAN reports that the decision followed a new U.S. policy suspending foreign aid, which has forced several non-governmental organisations involved in HIV/AIDS intervention to shut down operations.
The Institute of Human Virology, Nigeria, had been a major recipient of U.S. foreign assistance channelled through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
The aid freeze, which includes workforce cuts and the suspension of most overseas projects, has raised global health concerns, as USAID previously distributed billions of dollars annually to support health and development programmes worldwide.
Durfa said the collapse of funding had forced the virology institute to discontinue support for HIV/AIDS services, leaving care providers uncertain and vulnerable.
He recalled that HIV/AIDS posed a grave national challenge about two decades ago, claiming thousands of lives.
“The disease was devastating. At one point, we had over 7,000 patients in a single teaching hospital,” he said.
He noted that U.S.-supported interventions significantly reduced infection rates over the years, warning that the withdrawal of funding without a local replacement would lead to a dangerous relapse.
“If this gap is not urgently filled, Nigeria risks facing an even worse epidemic in the future,” Durfa said.
He identified young people as the most vulnerable group, explaining that many under the age of 20 had never witnessed the devastating impact of the disease and might underestimate its threat.
According to him, interrupting treatment programmes could also lead to drug resistance, making future interventions less effective even if funding resumes.
Durfa said the funding cuts threatened to erase achievements recorded since 2005, stressing the need for immediate government investment in the procurement of antiretroviral drugs.
“HIV/AIDS may no longer dominate public discourse because it has been controlled, but a sudden funding halt could undo all that progress,” he said.
He expressed concern over the fate of hundreds of people currently receiving care through his foundation, noting that services such as testing, treatment initiation, counselling, prevention support, legal aid and treatment of opportunistic infections would be suspended.
Durfa warned that the sudden disruption of services could lead to severe social consequences, including increased transmission rates, mental health crises and a rise in mother-to-child transmission.
“There must be sustained and adequate funding. Without a permanent alternative, we are sitting on a time bomb,” he said.