Kenya is among nine countries that are staring at a "substantially disrupted" supply of HIV treatments, the World Health Organisation has warned.
According to the global health agency, Kenya, which has 1.38 million people living with AIDS, could exhaust its supply of HIV treatments in the coming months.
WHO warns that a shortage could lead to over 10 million additional HIV cases and three million HIV-related deaths across the globe if the funding cut is sustained.
The shortage of life-saving drugs has been precipitated by a decision by US President Donald Trump to pause US foreign aid. The orders signed in January have resulted in huge disruptions already with thousands of Kenyans being sent home while the supply of the crucial drugs remains up in the air.
"The disruptions to HIV programs could undo 20 years of progress," WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said at a press conference on Monday.
According to WHO, the countries that could face shortages in supply alongside Kenya are Haiti, Lesotho, South Sudan, Burkina Faso, Mali, Nigeria, and Ukraine.
The United States has a "responsibility to ensure that if it withdraws direct funding for countries, it's done in an orderly and humane way that allows them to find alternative sources of funding," Ghebreyesus said.
Last month, the US announced a 90-day limited waiver for the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) program under USAID, allowing workers under the program to continue working.
The waiver approved HIV testing and treatment services for all populations, including people living with HIV. It also covers the prevention of mother-to-child transmission with testing and re-testing for pregnant and breastfeeding women, PrEP for HIV-negative women, and treatment for those who test positive. Partner testing, early infant diagnosis, and infant care are included.
Additional services covered include laboratory support, supply chain management to prevent stockouts of HIV medicines, and TB care for HIV patients. The waiver also supports cervical cancer treatment for women living with HIV.
However, PEPFAR-funded PrEP remains unavailable for individuals at risk of HIV who are not pregnant or breastfeeding until further notice.
The government of Kenya has promised to plug any shortfalls in budgetary allocations, despite the government's need for upwards of Ksh57 billion to plug shortfalls in health, education, and governance sectors supported by USAID.
