Overview
- UNAIDS reports 40.8 million people living with HIV globally in 2024 and estimates 2.5 million in Latin America, where new diagnoses have climbed roughly 9% since 2010 despite a 40% global decline.
- Mexico has identified about 15,480 new HIV cases through September 2025 and roughly 370,000 cumulatively, and specialists say regulator Cofepris has approved cabotegravir with expectations of future public formulary inclusion.
- Free rapid testing and outreach are being rolled out for World AIDS Day, including Mar del Plata’s Dec. 1–5 campaign, a Dec. 1 testing day in Mexico City’s Azcapotzalco, and large testing drives in Morelia with linkage to care.
- Health services in Spain report persistent late diagnosis—about half of new cases in Euskadi are detected late—while Galicia notes stable-to-rising recent figures and Cusco, Peru, records more infections among people aged 15–29.
- Experts highlight that effective antiretroviral therapy can reduce viral load to undetectable levels that are not sexually transmissible, and while PrEP, PEP and long-acting injectables offer prevention and adherence benefits, high costs and access gaps limit uptake across the region.