USAID Workers Slam Elon Musk's DOGE Blockade On Lifesaving' Drugs: 300 Babies That Wouldn't Have Had HIV, Now Do'

USAID workers are facing significant challenges due to Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which has disrupted foreign aid operations and obstructed vital HIV/AIDS program efforts. Despite a purported humanitarian waiver for initiatives like PEPFAR, internal dysfunction and communication breakdowns have left essential medical supplies, including antiretroviral drugs, stranded. Workers in affected countries such as Zambia and Haiti report dire consequences, with increased HIV infections among newborns due to lack of access to crucial medications. The situation represents a critical failure in providing promised lifesaving support for vulnerable populations.

When a baby is born, you do an early infant diagnostic test, and if it comes back positive, you can blitz them with retrovirals, said a USAID worker. But you can't do that if you don't have retrovirals.

There's a bigger communication blockage that is frustrating even the efforts put in place to free up the lifesaving work. We cannot touch the medication, they said. Everything is on hold.

Read at www.mediaite.com