Undark: As Uganda Takes Control of the HIV Epidemic, U.S. Shifts Funding
“…In July 2018, the U.S. global AIDS coordinator Deborah Birx — now of course better known in her latest role as coordinator of the White House’s response to the novel coronavirus pandemic — issued a directive for all U.S. agencies to deliver 40 percent of their PEPFAR funding to organizations within the countries the program serves in the next 18 months, and to reach 70 percent in the next 30 months. More importantly, funding is also expected to plateau as U.S. officials envisage a transition to sustainability in countries like Uganda. … Although these changes are in many ways a testament to how far Uganda and much of the rest of Africa have come in fighting the AIDS epidemic, survey data shows troubling signs of a return to pre-epidemic attitudes and lifestyles. And although officials still express confidence that Uganda is on the path to eventually ending HIV as a public health problem, some activists wonder if the U.S. and other international donors are withdrawing from the field too early, before the two-decade long war against AIDS in Uganda has been decisively won…” (Nakkazi, 6/10).