Feature Story

Honduras' HIV response is experiencing critical disruptions due to the U.S. funding pause for many HIV services. Approximately 100 healthcare workers had stopped providing lifesaving services following the initial U.S. stop-work-order last month, reducing access to essential HIV services like testing, prevention, and treatment for people living with HIV. These interruptions in access to HIV services create great individual – and public - health risks. While some affected healthcare workers were instructed that they could resume work on 24 February, it is not clear how many of them returned to work.  It is estimated that approximately 20 000 people live with HIV in Honduras. The country’s HIV response relies on external financial support for prevention among key populations. The Global Fund, PEPFAR and USAID have been supporting the country’s efforts to end AIDS as a public health threat.

Community-based organizations are struggling to fill the gap due to severe resource shortages, which compromise service quality and continuity at community level. Additionally, the disruption of prevention programs has increased the risk of new HIV infections, especially among key populations. This is compounded by the recent suspension of PrEP distribution for LGBTQ+ people, who are among the population disproportionately affected by HIV. The ongoing disruption to the country’s HIV response could reverse the progress Honduras has made in the past years in reducing new infections rates.

The funding pause has also halted multiple initiatives designed to ramp up the country’s HIV response, including the cancellation of targeted HIV prevention campaigns aimed at reducing new HIV infections especially among key populations. These programs were meant to be mainly led by local civil society organizations. UNAIDS has been working with both the government and community-led organizations in supporting the country to end AIDS through scientific and evidence-based technical interventions to end AIDS as a public health threat.