HIV rates surge in Ethiopia’s Tigray after war, Trump’s aid cuts aren’t helping | AP News
Ethiopia’s Tigray region is facing major rises in infectious diseases, including malaria, measles, cholera, and HIV, after the two-year war between the Ethiopian government and Tigrayan forces. Before the war, Tigray had one of the lowest HIV rates in Ethiopia at 1.4%, but it has now more than doubled to 3% and has a rate of 8.6% amongst sexual violence survivors. Throughout the war, 90% of survivors didn’t get the timely medical care they needed, and most of the region’s health care system was destroyed. Now, as post-war rebuild efforts are active, massive fund cuts, including the Trump administration’s cuts, have stalled health efforts. US cuts have led to the end of a lot of USAID HIV programs, a layoff of 5,000 health care workers in Ethiopia, as well as significant NGOS.
This is significant because of the major humanitarian impact the cuts have on the survivors who are unable to get needed medical support. The destruction of hospitals and other medical facilities during the war and other aid cuts have led to preventable disease rates soaring and leading to preventable deaths. The rising of these diseases could also spread beyond state borders, impacting the region.
Ethiopia should continue to prioritize reconstruction and improving their health system, however, if they are struggling to find the funds or workers, they could seek help from other states or international organizations. The US should consider the consequences of providing some kind of aid to the region or find a way for it to benefit the US. However, if providing the aid will not benefit the US in any way, the government may not find it to be worth sending money to the Tigray region. International organizations or donors would help restore humanitarian aid or find ways to make up the loss of aid from US cuts.
I can relate this to the idea of liberal theory and the reliance on international organizations to facilitate cooperation and peacekeeping. The Tigray region was relying on workers hired through USAID to help combat HIV and give medical care to those in need, but now that it has been taken away, Ethiopia is struggling to find the funds and must find another way to find funding, maybe through other IGOs.