UNAIDS Warns 18% HIV Funding Drop Threatens 30 Years of Progress
Updated
Updated · Euronews · Aug 1
UNAIDS Warns 18% HIV Funding Drop Threatens 30 Years of Progress
3 articles · Updated · Euronews · Aug 1
Summary
External financing for HIV programs in low- and middle-income countries fell 18% in 2025 from 2024—the steepest drop in nearly 20 years—prompting UNAIDS and other experts to warn of a renewed epidemic.
USAID's withdrawal has already cut community testing, prevention and support services, leaving health facilities overstretched and making it harder for people to learn their HIV status and start treatment early.
Cameroon, Nigeria and Zambia each recorded PrEP uptake declines of more than 50% between 2024 and 2025, underscoring how abruptly defunded prevention programs are weakening on the ground.
Those setbacks threaten hard-won gains: AIDS-related deaths fell 57% from 1.3 million in 2010 to 570,000 in 2025, while 32.1 million people were on treatment by December 2025.
UNAIDS says countries were already off track for 2030 HIV elimination goals and argues the funding shock should accelerate a phased shift from donor dependence toward stronger domestic financing.
Why are upper-middle-income countries being locked out of affordable access to a revolutionary HIV prevention drug that could end the epidemic?
As foreign aid vanishes and clinics close, could a miracle twice-yearly HIV injection fail to reach those who need it most?
10 Million New HIV Infections by 2030? The Global Impact of U.S. Aid Cuts and the Collapse of HIV Prevention Infrastructure
Overview
In January 2025, the Trump administration froze foreign aid and dissolved USAID, triggering a funding crisis across the Global South. This led to drastic cuts in health program budgets and the collapse of critical community services needed to deliver HIV medications. As a result, vulnerable groups lost access to clinics and prevention, while new innovations like lenacapavir launched without the infrastructure to reach those most at risk. International donors also reduced support, and supply chain shortages further limited the rollout. The loss of U.S. leadership and transparency has left millions at risk, threatening to reverse decades of progress against HIV.