
Elimination of HIV Prevention Division Being Considered by Trump Administration
The HIV prevention division could be rolled into another department of the HHS as soon as the end of the week.
The Trump administration is
The Trump administration has previously made moves that would hinder the progress made in the HIV epidemic, including scrubbing the CDC website of several pages related to HIV prevention,1 the previous the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), and the efforts to close the United Agency for International Development (USAID). These actions against PEPFAR and USAID could have major implications on HIV outcomes
This division of the CDC is tasked with tracking infections of HIV in the US, promoting testing and prevention, and conducting research around HIV. According to the
The division of HIV prevention also deals in encouraging the use of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), a drug that can prevent infection of HIV in at-risk groups. Should the division be eliminated, this could
According to a statement from Andrew Nixon, a spokesperson for the HHS, the HHS is “following the Administration’s guidance and taking a careful look at all divisions to see where there is overlap that could be streamlined to support the President’s broader efforts to restructure the federal government.”1 No final decision on the elimination of the division has been made.
Although HIV treatment has come a long way since the first case was reported in the US in 1981, there is still a way to go in completely eliminating the virus. There are approximately 1.2 million people in the US living with HIV, with about 13% not knowing about their diagnosis. It is estimated that 31,800 people acquired HIV in 2022, with racial and ethnic minorities and men who have sex with men having the highest risk of acquiring the virus. People living in the South are also at the highest risk of infection compared with other
The elimination of the department on HIV prevention in the CDC could make the work of HIV prevention more difficult within the country, undoing the progress made throughout the country in terms of reducing the number of cases and increasing the usage of PrEP in those most vulnerable. These services may not be provided to the same capacity should the division be rolled into different parts of the HHS, making the decision of the Trump administration important to the future of HIV prevention in the US.
References
- Lovelace Jr B. Trump administration considers plan to eliminate CDC’s HIV prevention division. NBC News. March 18, 2025. Accessed March 19, 2025.
https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/trump-administration-considers-plan-eliminate-cdcs-hiv-prevention-divi-rcna196946 - Bonavitacola J. Cuts to PEPFAR spell detrimental HIV outcomes in South Africa. February 13, 2025. Accessed March 19, 2025.
https://www.ajmc.com/view/cuts-to-pepfar-spell-detrimental-hiv-outcomes-in-south-africa - About Division of HIV Prevention. CDC. Accessed March 19, 2025.
https://www.cdc.gov/nchhstp/divisions/hiv-prevention.html - Manalac T. Trump eyes steep cuts to CDC HIV prevention program. BioSpace. March 19, 2025. Accessed March 19, 2025.
https://www.biospace.com/policy/trump-eyes-steep-cuts-to-cdc-hiv-prevention-program - US Statistics. HIV.gov. Updated February 21, 2025. Accessed March 19, 2025.
https://www.hiv.gov/hiv-basics/overview/data-and-trends/statistics
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