U.S. Funding Reductions Threaten South Africa’s Critical HIV Efforts
Just a week remained before pioneering trials for an HIV vaccine were set to commence in South Africa. Optimism was palpable; perhaps another stride in mitigating one of the deadliest pandemics was within reach. Then, like a thunderclap in clear skies, an email arrived.
It instructed cessation of all activities. The United States, guided by the Trump administration, was pulling its funding. This news hit like a sledgehammer in a region grappling with the highest concentration of HIV cases globally. Their research…