World AIDS Day 2024 Highlights Progress and Threats to HIV/AIDS Fight

Global advancements in HIV prevention and treatment face challenges from funding uncertainties, stigma, and discrimination.

HIV-related deaths have decreased by nearly two-thirds, and new infections have been halved since the 1980s, thanks to global efforts like PEPFAR and community activism.
PEPFAR, a U.S.-led program credited with saving over 25 million lives, faces an uncertain future due to congressional delays in securing long-term funding.
Stigma, discrimination, and criminalization of HIV and LGBTQ+ communities remain significant barriers to ending the epidemic, with UNAIDS' 10-10-10 goals unmet globally.
Recent advancements, including U=U (undetectable equals untransmissible) and PrEP, have transformed HIV treatment and prevention, making the goal of ending the epidemic by 2030 feasible but challenging.
Experts warn that political instability, funding cuts, and inequalities in access to care could reverse progress, emphasizing the need for sustained global commitment.