CISWH Researchers Share PEPFAR’s Impact on Maternal and Child Health 

A new report from the KFF highlights how investments in the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) may have strengthened health outcomes far beyond HIV care alone. Researchers from the Center for Innovation in Social Work and Health (CISWH) at BU School of Social Work (BUSSW), examined how the program was associated with broader improvements in mortality and childhood immunization outcomes across low- and middle-income countries. 

The study explored how PEPFAR investments were associated with changes in mortality rates and childhood immunization coverage across low- and middle-income countries between 2004 and 2022. The research team compared countries receiving PEPFAR support to similar countries with little or no support to better understand the broader effects of long-term global health investment. 

The findings showed that PEPFAR-supported countries experienced significantly lower maternal and child mortality rates over time. Researchers found that PEPFAR investments were associated with a 23.4% reduction in all-cause mortality, a 29.1% reduction in maternal mortality, and a 38% reduction in child mortality. 

PEPFAR support also contributed to higher childhood immunization rates, including improvements in measles, DPT, hepatitis B, and tetanus vaccine coverage. According to the authors, these findings suggest that large-scale public health investments can strengthen broader health systems and improve outcomes beyond HIV care alone. 

Read the full report here.