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HIV infections, deaths decline, funding gaps threaten progress

New HIV infections and AIDS-related deaths reached their lowest global levels in 2025, according to a report released on Monday (Jul. 27) by the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS). However, the organization warns that this progress is threatened by declining funding for prevention and treatment. Notícias relacionadas:HPV prevalence falls among young Brazilians after vaccination.Brazil to begin domestic production of key HIV medication.New tech cuts rare disease diagnosis time in Brazil’s public care.Worldwide, 1.2 million new HIV infections were recorded, representing a reduction of about 40 percent since 2010. The number of AIDS-related deaths last year stood at 570,000. On the other hand, new cases increased in 21 countries and three regions around the world. Brazil is among them and, according to UNAIDS, has expanded access to preventive medications by 41 percent in response to this rise. The report was released ahead of the opening of the 26th International AIDS Conference, the world’s largest event on the disease, which opened on Monday (27) in Rio de Janeiro. This is the first time it has been held in Brazil. UNAIDS Executive Director Winnie Byanyima emphasized that ending the AIDS epidemic is no longer just an aspiration, but an achievable goal thanks to scientific innovations - Fernando Frazão/Agência Brasil End of the AIDS epidemic UNAIDS Executive Director Winnie Byanyima emphasized that ending the AIDS epidemic is no longer just an aspiration, but an achievable goal thanks to scientific innovations - especially injectable pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), which can protect people at risk of HIV infection for up to six months. “This is one of the greatest opportunities we have to end the epidemic. But scientific advances alone will not end AIDS. Innovation without access is not innovation - it is injustice. These medications remain out of reach for most people who need them,” Byanyima emphasized. UNAIDS estimates that 20 million people need access to long-acting injectable PrEP for the world to achieve the new goal of ending AIDS as a public health threat by 2030. The commitment was made by United Nations member states a few weeks ago. “This means affordable prices, competition from generic drugs, regional manufacturing, technology transfer, and rapid integration into national programs,” the director noted. “Science has done its part; now, politics must do its part. The question is no longer whether we can end AIDS, but whether we will choose to end AIDS. If this is fully implemented, we can prevent 3.2 million new infections and 1.3 million AIDS-related deaths.” The UN program points out that the first step toward this is restoring global investment in HIV treatment and prevention. Funding for the main assistance program for low-income countries, Official Development Assistance (ODA), fell by 23 percent in 2025, severely affecting HIV programs. Some African countries rely on these funds for more than 90 percent of their efforts to combat HIV. This affects the availability of new prevention technologies and care for those already infected. In 2025, one in five people living with HIV worldwide was not receiving antiretroviral treatment, a proportion that rises to nearly half among children. Stigmatization Another issue highlighted by UNAIDS is the resurgence of discrimination against LGBTI+ people and vulnerable populations, such as sex workers and people who use drugs. For the first time, the criminalization of same-sex relationships increased in 2025 rather than declined, with 66 countries now criminalizing such relationships. The organization also identified 14 countries that criminalize transgender people, as well as 168 countries where various aspects of sex work are prohibited and 152 where possession of small amounts of drugs is punishable. “When people fear imprisonment, violence, discrimination, and stigma, they avoid health care services. HIV spreads when rights are denied. Human rights are not separate from the response to HIV - they are the response to HIV,” emphasized the UNAIDS executive director.