The State Department issued a waiver for lifesaving aid, but HIV clinics remain shut and uncertainty lingers over the future of PEPFAR, which has saved 25 million lives.

A stop in all of PEPFAR’s work shuttered clinics this week. Then, a new exemption for “life-saving” treatment left organizations uncertain.

On Friday, a memorandum signed by Marco Rubio called for a 90-day cessation of foreign aid. That would likely put on hold the work of PEPFAR, the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief.

It’s not hyperbole to say that people will die.” PEPFAR, a sprawling multiagency public health program led by the State Department, disburses billions of dollars in aid to partners around the world to fight HIV every year.

Zimbabwe's finance minister expressed concern on Wednesday that a U.S. withdrawal from the World Health Organization will lead to aid cuts to countries such as his that are most affected by HIV/AIDS.

CAPE TOWN - Health advocates have warned that the Trump administration's funding freeze for HIV/Aids organisations in South Africa has devastating consequences. Bhekisisa editor, Mia Malan, said that the effects of this decision were already being felt.

Director General of Africa CDC Dr. Jean Kaseya says he hopes the U.S. considers exemptions to President Trump’s announced 90-day funding freeze, to ensure critical delivery of emergency aid aimed at preventing disease outbreaks and saving lives.