My heart goes out to all workers and beneficiaries of USAID. This is heartbreaking and has been said, it could mean loss of life, quite literally.
USAID's PEPFAR program has been supporting HIV pandemic control in over 50 countries and is credited with saving over 25 million lives in the last 20 years. South Africa alone has about 8 million living with HIV and has been heavily funded for antiretroviral therapy. Yes, Kenya's gains against HIV prevalence has USAID to thank.
This shutdown could mean drug supply interruptions, viral rebounds, drug resistance, and death.
USAID also supports TB diagnosis, treatment programs, and malaria control efforts from Nigeria to Uganda.
Let's not even get started on maternal healthcare.
African countries must intervene through their national budgets. Otherwise, the gains made will be dramatically reversed.