HIV Services for Mothers and Babies Disrupted by US Aid Cuts
Goldlaner.com – The Trump administration said it would prioritize preventing HIV transmission from mothers to babies, but health workers say cuts to US global health funding disrupted the broader systems required to deliver that care. In Tanzania and many other countries, families have faced interruptions to testing, treatment, counseling and follow-up services.
In January 2025, pediatrician Dr. Theopista Masenge was helping introduce treatment for children with high HIV viral loads at a hospital in Mbeya, Tanzania. The program supported pregnant women, children and babies exposed to HIV, but it was instructed to stop work abruptly after funding changes.
“It was really, very abrupt, and I recall even the hospital managers were running up and down like, ‘What are we going to do?’”
Masenge lost her job soon afterward. She said the halt damaged a system that had taken decades to build and that services for mothers and children remained inconsistent more than a year later, even after limited US funding returned.
Prevention Programs Were Affected Despite Assurances
The President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, known as PEPFAR, has been heavily affected by the Trump administration’s cuts to global health funding and the dismantling of the US Agency for International Development. The Trump administration said it would protect services aimed at preventing HIV transmission during pregnancy, childbirth and breastfeeding.
However, a July study by the Foundation for AIDS Research, conducted with Johns Hopkins University, found widespread disruption. The survey included 166 organizations in 46 countries, representing 23% of PEPFAR partner organizations funded during the previous year. Sixty-three percent said mother-to-child HIV prevention services had been disrupted, while 22% said they had stopped those services entirely during the funding reductions.
Elise Lankiewicz, a senior policy associate at amfAR, said it is difficult to preserve one service when the wider health system supporting it is being reduced. HIV prevention depends on trained workers, laboratories, medical records, medicine distribution, counseling and regular appointments.
“There was really no way to protect very singular parts of the system while dismantling others.”
The survey also found that 1,714 clinics previously supported by PEPFAR closed worldwide last year. For patients, a clinic closure can mean longer travel, missed testing, delayed care and fewer opportunities to remain connected to treatment.
Concerns Reach Beyond HIV Medicine Availability
Masenge, now president of the Paediatric Association of Tanzania, said her concern is not limited to whether medicines are available. She worries that declining quality of care could discourage mothers and caregivers from returning to health facilities for medication, testing and routine monitoring.
“I’m not so worried in terms of supplies and medications, but I’m super worried about the quality of care for the children, for the mothers.”
Early infant diagnosis is especially important because it helps health workers identify babies who may have acquired HIV and begin treatment promptly. When testing, patient tracking and follow-up are interrupted, children can be missed even when medication remains available.
The Trump administration said it would prioritize these protections, but experts caution that lower numbers of children beginning HIV treatment do not necessarily show improvement. Reduced testing and monitoring may instead mean that children are no longer being reached by health services. Disruptions to reporting can also make it harder to identify worsening trends quickly.
FAQ: HIV Care for Mothers and Babies in Tanzania
Why is early infant HIV testing important?
Early testing helps health workers identify babies who may have HIV and connect them with treatment as soon as possible. Delays in diagnosis, follow-up or laboratory services can leave children without the care they need.
What can families do if a local HIV clinic closes?
Families should ask nearby public hospitals or health facilities where HIV treatment, maternal care and infant testing are currently available. Keeping appointment records and medication information can help when transferring care to another facility.
Why do funding cuts affect services beyond medication?
HIV care requires more than medicine supplies. It also depends on health workers, laboratory testing, counseling, patient records, transportation, appointments and systems that help clinics follow up with mothers and children.