On World AIDS Day, the World Health Organization called on governments and partners to rapidly expand access to new WHO-approved tools including lenacapavir to drive down infections and counter disruption to essential health services caused by cuts to foreign aid.
Despite dramatic funding setbacks, the global HIV response has gained a remarkable momentum in 2025 with the introduction and WHO approval of twice-yearly injectable lenacapavir (LEN) for HIV prevention, the UN health agency said in a press release on Monday.
LEN, a highly effective long-acting alternative to oral pills and other options, is a transformative intervention for people who face challenges with regular adherence and stigma in accessing health care. WHO released new guidelines in July this year recommending the use of lenacapavir as an additional pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) option for HIV prevention.
WHO said that sharp and sudden reductions in international funding this year led to disruptions in HIV prevention, treatment and testing services, with essential community-led programs, including PrEP and harm reduction initiatives for people who inject drugs, being scaled back or shut down entirely in some countries.
Marking World AIDS Day under the theme 'Overcoming disruption, transforming the AIDS response', WHO is urging a dual track approach - solidarity and investment in innovations to protect and empower communities most at risk.
After decades of progress, the HIV response stands at a crossroads, according to WHO.
HIV prevention efforts stagnated, with 1.3 million new infections, disproportionately impacting key and vulnerable populations.
UNAIDS data reveal that almost half of new HIV infections occurred among key populations-including sex workers, men who have sex with men, transgender women, and people who inject drugs-and their sexual partners.
while sex workers and transgender women face a 17-fold higher risk of acquiring HIV, men who have sex with men face an 18-fold higher risk, and people who inject drugs-a 34-fold higher risk.
WHO said that globally, an estimated 40.8 million people were living with HIV, and 630000 people died from HIV-related causes.
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December 19, 2025 15:10 ET U.S. inflation data and interest rate decisions by major central banks were the highlights of this busy week for economics news flow. Employment data and survey results on the housing markets also gained attention in the U.S. In Europe, the European Central Bank and Bank of England announced their policy decisions and macroeconomic projections.