As of today, HIV remains the major global public health concern, having claimed over 44.1 million lives so far. Over 6,30,000 people succumbed to HIV-related causes worldwide in 2024. Close to 40.8 million people are living with HIV, as reported by the WHO at the end of 2024.
Accounting for 50 per cent of the global new HIV infections, the African Region is the most affected and Sub-Saharan Africa in particular bears the highest HIV burden.
The Trump administration's sudden cut on international financial aid, followed by wider aid cut by British and other European countries is certainly weakening the fight against the HIV.
The Guardian reported that in Zimbabwe, HIV-related deaths have risen for the first time in five years. It also noted that patients with suspected HIV in Ethiopia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) went undiagnosed due to test-kit stocks running out.
Winnie Byanyima, USAID’s executive director, said to the Guardian that the complex ecosystem that sustains HIV services in dozens of low-and middle-income countries is shaken to its core.
Alarmingly, the WHO had projected an extended financial aid in general to drop by 30 per cent to 40 per cent this year compared to 2023, triggering immediate and massive disruption to health services in low and middle-income countries.
International funding played key role in the fight against deadly diseases like HIV, Malaria and Tuberculosis. It helped underdeveloped countries to access critical services and fund health worker training programmes, which proved successful in combating diseases, especially HIV.
However, now, UNICEF in an report titled World risks reversing HIV progress as children continue to face treatment gap published on November 27, 2025 said that the UNICEF-UNAIDS model, suggesting that if HIV prevention programme coverage falls by half, an additional 1.1 million children could acquire HIV, and 820,000 more could die of AIDS-related causes by 2040.
This finding comes as a major setback to the decades of progress with sustained commitment. HIV services had averted an estimated 4.4 million infections and 2.1 million AIDS-related deaths in children between 2000 and 2024.
A new study published in The Lancet HIV conducted by Burnet Institute and WHO highlights, "the discontinuation of HIV treatment, in scenarios where funding cuts and suspensions continued, could lead to an additional 4.4 million new infections, even if mitigation efforts resumed treatment within two years."
"If the available funds were diverted from HIV testing and prevention services to maintain critical treatment for people struggling with HIV, an additional 1.7 million new infections by 2030 would take place," the study also said.
Meanwhile, amid a fragile environment, the WHO is encouraging nations to adopt low-cost WHO pre-qualified HIV rapid tests as the initial test in their strategy. This also applies to the HIV and syphilis dual tests in antenatal care.
The organisation said that the measure will cause an immediate and substantial reduction in testing costs for countries. It also said that programmes with limited health workers and testing capacity may also consider HIV self-tests.
WHO’s Global HIV, Hepatitis and Sexually Transmitted Infections Programmes Department, in partnership with the Regulation and Prequalification Department, has been pressing for locally manufactured, quality medicines and diagnostics. The move is aimed at boosting supply chain resilience and regional self-reliance.
The fight is weakened but not halted!
