US aid cuts to Zimbabwe have left thousands of sex workers without access to crucial HIV prevention tools, leading to a rise in AIDS-related deaths and pushing many into unsafe practices. The abrupt withdrawal of funding has severely impacted the country's fragile health system.

• 5,932 AIDS-related deaths occurred in the first half of 2025, an increase from 5,712 in the same period last year.
• The US support, including programmes like PEPFAR, previously amounted to approximately $522 million, with about $90 million directed to HIV programmes.
• Sharon Mukakanhanga, a 43-year-old sex worker, resorted to using baby socks as condoms after her preferred clinic lost US funding.
• Medical charity Doctors Without Borders (MSF) reports their clinics are "stretched thin" due to the increased demand.
• An estimated 40,500 women are engaged in sex work nationwide in Zimbabwe according to the Centre for Humanitarian Analytics (CHA).