<h1>Foreign assistance freeze threatens HIV programmes and could reverse gains, increasing infections and deaths without replacement funding.</h1> A suspension of external funding for HIV programmes can produce catastrophic public health consequences where national responses are heavily donor dependent. The text describes immediate operational effects of a foreign assistance freeze-layoffs of HIV workers, disrupted epidemic tracking, and reliance on a single external donor-and identifies likely downstream impacts: large increases in new infections, AIDS related deaths, and orphanhood. It stresses that sustained donor support is necessary to deploy new prevention tools and preserve progress toward epidemic control.