The US government said it would protect programs to prevent mother-to-child HIV transmission from aid cuts. Health workers say those services were cut anyway.

A July study by the Foundation for AIDS Research (amfAR) and Johns Hopkins University surveyed 166 organizations that received PEPFAR funding across 46 countries. It found 63 percent reported disruptions to mother-to-child prevention services, and 22 percent said they ended those services entirely.

Dr. Theopista Masenge, a Tanzanian pediatrician, told CNN she got a call in January 2025 to halt all operations of a program serving HIV-exposed infants and pregnant women. “Almost overnight, the system that was built for almost 40 years was gone,” she said.

The cuts followed the dismantling of USAID, which managed more than half of PEPFAR grants. A February 2025 waiver theoretically protected prevention of mother-to-child transmission, but researchers said ripple effects hit staffing, supplies, and partner groups.

PEPFAR has saved more than 26 million lives since 2003. The study warns the cuts could reverse two decades of gains.