PEPFAR’s success makes it hard to recall how unexpected and unprecedented the plan originally was. That the United States, led by a conservative president and Republican-controlled Congress, would—amid a war on terror, an invasion of Iraq, and an epidemic of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS)—launch a foreign assistance program of such ambition was stunning. Its creation was a black swan for global health and one of the most significant moments in the history of global health policy.
However, PEPFAR’s impact is fading, and the program is no longer the major catalyst for the fight against HIV/AIDS. With international assistance stagnating, HIV infections and untreated AIDS cases appear set to surge.
Read more: Council on Foreign Relations
See also:
The Next AIDS Pandemic by Laurie Garrett (Foreign Policy)
Strategy for Accelerating HIV/AIDS Epidemic Control 2017-2010 (PEPFAR) pdf
PEPFAR 2018 Annual Report to Congress (PEPFAR) pdf