World AIDS Day is celebrated every year on December 1st by the global scientific community, physicians, families, and volunteers to remember the victims of the HIV/AIDS epidemic and promote awareness efforts to eradicate this forever.
AIDS is spread through close sexual contact, infected blood or sometime through airbone transmissions.
Despite major scientific advancements to prevent its spread in recent times, amid the global funding cuts, it triggered warnings from global health experts that it could lead to the resurfacing of the epidemic in regions bearing the heaviest burdens.
Since the start of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, approximately 44.1 million people have died from related illnesses globally, and an estimated 91.4 million people have been diagnosed with HIV (human immunodeficiency virus), reports WHO.
According to Euro News, the latest figures estimated 40.8 million people globally are living with HIV, and it claimed around 630,000 lives in 2024.
World AIDS Day 2025 reflects four major milestones over the last four decades in the fight against the most devastating epidemic in human history:
In 1984, the first European surveillance was issued, and a year later, an HIV test was initiated in the UK.
After years of research, scientists finally came to know about a highly active antiretroviral therapy, known as HAART; a triple drug regimen emerged as a highly effective therapy for AIDS.
It helped in restoring the immune system by suppressing the virus and slowing the onset of AIDS in people with HIV and was considered a milestone step in transforming an HIV diagnosis from a fatal diagnosis into a treatable, chronic condition.
As a result, the mortality rates dropped in countries where HAART was accessible, but simultaneously, the number of HIV cases surged due to increased testing and diagnoses.
In 2003, PEPFAR was introduced, which is the largest global health program for combating a single disease of all time.
The President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, PEPFAR, was established with the initial funding of $15 billion for five years to fight and curb HIV/AIDS in the areas with the highest prevalence rates.
PEPFAR has so far saved more than 26 million human lives in 50 countries.
Furthermore, the first daily pill for curbing HIV risk, PrEP, was introduced for people at higher risk of infection, such as transgender and sex workers who are most vulnerable to the virus.
Studies highlight that it can reduce HIV risks by about 99% and from injections by about 74%.
To fight against HIV/AIDS, UNAIDS introduced a program titled ‘90-90-90’ treatment for all.
The UN program, introduced in 2014, set up a 2020 target for 90 percent of HIV patients globally to become aware of their HIV status with the help of antiretroviral treatments.
The UN General Assembly also adopted these goals and stated that meeting these targets would mean an end to the epidemic by 2030.
However, according to UNAIDS data, with the exception of Sweden, which succeeded in achieving these targets in 2016, only 19 countries globally fully or partially achieved the 90-90-90 targets.
Amid the global health cuts in funding to curb HIV/AIDS, global health experts have warned that, shortage of funds could disrupt years of working to fight against this epidemic, which could also trigger other long-term health crises.
Young adults are becoming more vulnerable, with 45% of all new HIV infections globally diagnosed among females of all ages last year.
Additionally, the African continent is the hardest hit, accounting for more than two-thirds of all cases.
In 2024, 63% of new HIV infections in Africa were diagnosed among females, while in all other regions, about 73% of cases were reported among males.
The alarming scenario reveals, 4000 adolescent girls and young women aged 15-24 years became infected with HIV in 2024—3300 of these infections were reported in sub-Saharan Africa.
The situation suggests authorities should act promptly by overcoming disruption and transforming the AIDS response, as they confront a global burden of 40.8 million HIV cases, which claimed about 630,000 lives in 2024 alone.
