Soon after taking office 15 months ago, the Trump administration dismantled the $40 billion

U.S. agency for international development. Days later, Secretary of State Marco Rubio issued an

exemption for what he described as life-saving humanitarian assistance. But what that exemption covered

was never clearly defined, and in practice, funding for health programs

has been sharply reduced.

Our Fred DeSam Lazaro begins a two-part report from the East African nation of Uganda.

It's near the start of another day for Dr. Otem Pius in the HIV clinic of Mokono Hospital.

We used to have about four doctors working in the clinic, but right now I am alone.

We have about 3,200 patients.

It is impossible for me to see all of them.

His patients are among millions across Africa who've received treatment and life-saving

antiretroviral drugs for HIV under PEPFAR, a program begun in 2003 by the George

W. Bush administration.

It all ground to an abrupt halt at the start of the second Trump administration.

It shut down USAID and issued a stop work order across all aid programs. Dr. Pius says HIV

incidence and mortality rates more than doubled.

For both HIV and also HIV-associated illnesses,

like TB, like meningitis, close to 15% of the clients dying of malaria and TB.

It is very painful to lose someone of a treatable disease.

The numbers began to trend downward, closer to 10% after an exemption was issued for certain

life-sustaining programs. These included various HIV drugs.

It is still high, but it is lower than during that time. That's because even though many, though not all formulations of HIV medications were replenished,

...