Despite low prevalence, USAID shutdown to affect HIV projects in various Indian pockets

With a view to assist India’s goal to eliminate HIV by 2030, international fund agency USAID had received sanction to extend the five-year grant for the Regional Operational Plan of U.S. government’s project PEPFAR by two more years until 2026, days before the agency was ordered to suspend operations by the Trump government. Nevertheless with 500 field workers employed with USAID’s anti-HIV projects who reached out to two lakh HIV patients left high and dry, the shut down is set to temporarily provide a set back to India’s HIV elimination goals, until an alternative is devised. Cases are more concentrated in southern region and certain emerging pockets in north and north east of India where USAID through PEPFAR has been supporting the Indian government to lay out infrastructure and infuse human resource aid to support awareness and treatment activities on the ground to achieve elimination goals,” an official closely working with USAID on Project Accelerate, which identified and engaged vulnerable populations to provide preventive and treatment services for HIV said. “To find solutions for this issue, the government took assistance from technical partners such as USAID whose HIV-related ‘Project Accelerate,’ employed outreach workers to reach vulnerable communities like LGBTQIA+, men who have sex with men, people who inject drugs, orphan and vulnerable children, sex workers and so on to get them to test and treat for HIV,” the official said.