1.3 MILLION CONTRACT HIV IN 2024 AMID FUNDING CUTS - WHO

ISTANBUL, Dec 1 (Bernama-Anadolu) -- The World Health Organisation (WHO) warned on Monday that 1.3 million people were infected with HIV in 2024, stressing a sharp stagnation in global prevention efforts as foreign aid cuts disrupt treatment, testing, and community-led programmes worldwide, Anadolu Ajansi (AA) reported.

Marking World AIDS Day, the WHO said the global AIDS response has reached a “critical crossroads,” with new infections disproportionately affecting the world’s most vulnerable communities.

“We face significant challenges, with cuts to international funding and prevention stalling,” said Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. “At the same time, we have significant opportunities … Expanding access to new tools must be priority number one.”

The UN health agency warned that stigma, discrimination and legal barriers continue to prevent people most at risk from accessing health care.

Globally, an estimated 40.8 million people were living with HIV in 2024, and 630,000 people died from HIV-related causes.

The WHO said sudden reductions in international funding this year have had “severe and immediate” effects. Prevention, testing and treatment services were scaled back or suspended in several countries.

The AIDS Vaccine Advocacy Coalition estimates that 2.5 million people who used PrEP in 2024 lost access in 2025 due solely to donor cuts, a setback the WHO said could have long-lasting impacts.

Despite the funding crisis, the health agency highlighted significant progress in 2025 with the introduction of lenacapavir (LEN), a highly effective, twice-yearly injectable approved by the WHO as a new pre-exposure prophylaxis option.

Designed for people who struggle with daily oral medication or face stigma at health facilities, lenacapavir represents a “transformative intervention,” according to the WHO.

The agency prequalified the drug on Oct 6, paving the way for rapid approvals in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Zambia.

“We are entering a new era of powerful innovations in HIV prevention and treatment,” said Dr Tereza Kasaeva, director of WHO’s HIV, TB, Hepatitis and STIs department. “But without urgent action and investment, millions will not benefit from these advances.”

The WHO urged governments to integrate HIV services into primary health care, increase domestic investment and protect the rights of key populations.

Despite current disruptions, the agency said the determination of affected communities remains central to ending AIDS as a public health threat.

“Overcoming disruption and transforming the AIDS response,” the WHO said, adding that it requires both global solidarity and rapid deployment of innovations that can prevent the next million infections.

-- BERNAMA-ANADOLU