{"id":1802,"date":"2025-07-27T12:30:35","date_gmt":"2025-07-27T12:30:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/eandelmagazine.com\/eandelmagazine\/?p=1802"},"modified":"2025-07-27T12:30:35","modified_gmt":"2025-07-27T12:30:35","slug":"hiv-vaccine-research-in-south-africa-comes-to-a-standstill-affecting-global-efforts-as-us-aid-cuts-ensue","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/eandelmagazine.com\/eandelmagazine\/hiv-vaccine-research-in-south-africa-comes-to-a-standstill-affecting-global-efforts-as-us-aid-cuts-ensue\/","title":{"rendered":"HIV Vaccine Research in South Africa comes to a Standstill, Affecting Global Efforts as US Aid Cuts ensue"},"content":{"rendered":"

Just one week before scientists in South Africa were set to begin clinical trials for a promising HIV vaccine, a devastating message arrived, \u201cStop all work.\u201d The email, sent abruptly, announced that the United States, under the Trump administration, was pulling off all funding for the project.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\" \"\"<\/p>\n

The announcement crushed the researchers, many of whom work in a region with the world\u2019s highest number of people living with HIV. The initiative, known as BRILLIANT, had been designed to leverage the region\u2019s unique genetic diversity and scientific expertise in the global fight against HIV. The U.S. had pledged $46 million to the effort\u2014now, that funding was gone.<\/p>\n

This move was part of a broader rollback of foreign aid under President Trump, who had shifted focus to domestic priorities. South Africa was hit especially hard, partly due to Trump\u2019s unfounded claims that white Afrikaners were being targeted in the country. Previously, South Africa received around $400 million annually from USAID and the HIV-focused PEPFAR program. That support has largely disappeared.<\/p>\n

Dr. Glenda Gray, head of the BRILLIANT program, warned that these cuts jeopardize not only South Africa\u2019s future contributions to HIV research but global progress as well. \u201cAfrica has been central to the development of HIV medicine,\u201d she said. \u201cWithout South Africa\u2019s participation, the world is poorer.\u201d<\/p>\n

South Africa has played a vital role in groundbreaking medical research. It was a key site for clinical trials of lenacapavir<\/strong>, the world\u2019s first twice-a-year HIV prevention shot, recently approved by the U.S. FDA. South African youth were involved in pivotal trials that demonstrated its effectiveness.<\/p>\n

Gray also pointed to the country\u2019s role during the COVID-19 pandemic, when it helped test the Johnson & Johnson and Novavax vaccines and led the world in genomic surveillance\u2014identifying major variants.<\/p>\n

At the University of the Witwatersrand, a team of researchers has been working on developing the HIV vaccines. In the lab, technician Nozipho Mlotshwa, dressed in a white coat, continued her work\u2014aware her days may be numbered. Her position, like many others, is funded by grants now in jeopardy. She uses her salary to support her family and fund her education in a country where youth unemployment stands at a staggering 46%.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s very sad and devastating,\u201d she said. \u201cWe\u2019re also losing out on collaboration with other scientists across the continent.\u201d<\/p>\n

The research team, led by Professor Abdullah Ely, had already seen encouraging results: the vaccine appeared to stimulate an immune response. But that progress has now stalled. \u201cThe momentum has completely halted,\u201d Ely said.<\/p>\n

The BRILLIANT team is now racing to secure alternative funding. Purchases of essential equipment have been frozen. According to South Africa\u2019s health department, around 100 researchers connected to BRILLIANT and other HIV-related projects have already been laid off. Postdoctoral researchers face an uncertain future, as their funding hangs in the balance.<\/p>\n

The government estimates that South African universities and science councils could lose $107 million<\/strong> in U.S. research funding over the next five years. The cuts impact not only HIV research but also efforts to combat tuberculosis, another widespread disease in the country.<\/p>\n

Officials say it will be extremely difficult to replace the lost funding. The consequences are already visible: fewer people can access HIV medication, and the number of new infections is rising. More than 8,000 health workers in South Africa\u2019s HIV program have been laid off, along with data collectors and rural HIV counselors who once played a key role in reaching vulnerable communities.<\/p>\n

To prevent further damage, Universities South Africa, an umbrella group, has submitted a request for over $110 million from the national treasury to sustain critical research programs.<\/p>\n

During a visit to South Africa in June, UNAIDS Executive Director Winnie Byanyima acknowledged the dire situation. She noted that while some countries\u2014including Zambia, Nigeria, Burundi, and Ivory Coast\u2014are beginning to step up their own HIV funding, it won\u2019t be enough.<\/p>\n

\u201cLet\u2019s be clear,\u201d she said. \u201cWhat they are putting down will not match what the American resources were providing.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n

Source: ABC<\/em><\/h6>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Just one week before scientists in South Africa were set to begin clinical trials for…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1803,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4,17,49],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1802","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-africa","category-health","category-south-africa"],"featured_image_urls":{"full":["https:\/\/eandelmagazine.com\/eandelmagazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/igvte03o_hiv-aids-generic_625x300_23_November_21.jpg",545,307,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/eandelmagazine.com\/eandelmagazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/igvte03o_hiv-aids-generic_625x300_23_November_21-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/eandelmagazine.com\/eandelmagazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/igvte03o_hiv-aids-generic_625x300_23_November_21-300x169.jpg",300,169,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/eandelmagazine.com\/eandelmagazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/igvte03o_hiv-aids-generic_625x300_23_November_21.jpg",545,307,false],"large":["https:\/\/eandelmagazine.com\/eandelmagazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/igvte03o_hiv-aids-generic_625x300_23_November_21.jpg",545,307,false],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/eandelmagazine.com\/eandelmagazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/igvte03o_hiv-aids-generic_625x300_23_November_21.jpg",545,307,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/eandelmagazine.com\/eandelmagazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/igvte03o_hiv-aids-generic_625x300_23_November_21.jpg",545,307,false],"wpucv-grid-three":["https:\/\/eandelmagazine.com\/eandelmagazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/igvte03o_hiv-aids-generic_625x300_23_November_21.jpg",360,203,false],"wpucv-grid-two":["https:\/\/eandelmagazine.com\/eandelmagazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/igvte03o_hiv-aids-generic_625x300_23_November_21.jpg",545,307,false],"wpucv-grid-one":["https:\/\/eandelmagazine.com\/eandelmagazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/igvte03o_hiv-aids-generic_625x300_23_November_21.jpg",545,307,false],"wpucv-classic":["https:\/\/eandelmagazine.com\/eandelmagazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/igvte03o_hiv-aids-generic_625x300_23_November_21.jpg",302,170,false],"wpucv-classic-small":["https:\/\/eandelmagazine.com\/eandelmagazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/igvte03o_hiv-aids-generic_625x300_23_November_21.jpg",150,84,false],"wpucv-galary":["https:\/\/eandelmagazine.com\/eandelmagazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/igvte03o_hiv-aids-generic_625x300_23_November_21.jpg",400,225,false],"covernews-slider-full":["https:\/\/eandelmagazine.com\/eandelmagazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/igvte03o_hiv-aids-generic_625x300_23_November_21.jpg",545,307,false],"covernews-slider-center":["https:\/\/eandelmagazine.com\/eandelmagazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/igvte03o_hiv-aids-generic_625x300_23_November_21.jpg",545,307,false],"covernews-featured":["https:\/\/eandelmagazine.com\/eandelmagazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/igvte03o_hiv-aids-generic_625x300_23_November_21.jpg",545,307,false],"covernews-medium":["https:\/\/eandelmagazine.com\/eandelmagazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/igvte03o_hiv-aids-generic_625x300_23_November_21-540x307.jpg",540,307,true],"covernews-medium-square":["https:\/\/eandelmagazine.com\/eandelmagazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/igvte03o_hiv-aids-generic_625x300_23_November_21-400x250.jpg",400,250,true]},"author_info":{"info":["Saint 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