The Trump administration is weighing a plan to dissolve the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) division fighting AIDS, potentially shifting its responsibilities to another branch within the Department of Health and Human Service, NBC News reported, citing a source familiar with the plan.
The proposal remains in its early stages, and no final decision has been made, according to the source Tuesday. A memo circulating among HIV prevention advocates suggested the change could take place within days, but the source indicated the timeline is likely longer.
Public health experts warn that such a move could jeopardise decades of progress in preventing new HIV infections. Jesse Milan, the CEO of AIDS United, a nonprofit dedicated to HIV advocacy, called the potential elimination of the CDC’s HIV prevention division “devastating.”
"The work is important because every new HIV transmission results in a person having a lifetime cost related to being HIV positive,” he said.
In 2022, the US saw an estimated 31,800 new HIV infections, according to government data.
The US has made great strides in reducing the number of new HIV infections, with rates falling most sharply among people age 13-24. Experts fear this progress could be lost if the CDC stops backing preventative initiatives.
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Trump’s controversial health initiatives
In addition to eliminating the division, the administration is reportedly considering cutting as much as $700 million from CDC’s HIV prevention funding and no final decision has been reached, the source said.
"No final decision on streamlining CDC's HIV Prevention Division has been made,” Andrew Nixon, a department spokesperson, said in an emailed statement.
"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," Nixon said. "This is to ensure that HHS better serves the American people at the highest and most efficient standard."
Since taking office, the Trump administration has taken a number of controversial health initiatives, from muting recommendations for universal vaccination, to cutting funding for disease prevention abroad, which could lead to outbreaks of communicable diseases that often cross borders into the US.
Cutting funding from USAID programs resulted in ending drug trials on HIV prevention, which could lead to drug-resistant strains of the virus developing, public health advocates warned.
Ruling follows a temporary halt imposed by the court on efforts to place thousands of USAID employees on administrative leave, a move prompted by a lawsuit from labour unions.
