There are an estimated 40.8 million people living with HIV (PLHIV) around the world.
Of these, 610,000 are living in the Eastern Mediterranean Region, the World Health Organization (WHO) has said.
The number of estimated annual new infections has almost doubled in less than a decade, rising from 37,000 in 2016 to 72,000 in 2024.
And yet fewer than 4 in 10 know their status, and less than a third are receiving treatment in the region.
In a statement even as the world marked World AIDS Day 2025 yesterday under the theme “Overcoming disruption, transforming the AIDS response,”
The WHO is calling on governments to scale up HIV national health agendas and increase national investments.
WHO Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean Dr. Hanan Balkhy called on all governments to raise public awareness, increase domestic funding, integrate HIV into broader health services, adopt innovative approaches, and strengthen prevention through digital health and AI.
“WHO will stand with our countries and communities to build a stronger, fairer AIDS response for everyone, everywhere in our region,” he added.
He urged greater integration of HIV services into wider health systems to deliver comprehensive, people-centred care.
He also called for the scale-up of innovative service delivery models, the expansion of prevention, harm reduction, and community engagement programmes, and enhanced surveillance, monitoring, and targeted HIV responses.
According to WHO, the HIV response is entering a critical moment, and with funding dedicated towards HIV declining, this threatens to unravel decades of progress.
“HIV services are being disrupted, especially in fragile and conflict situations, and community-led services, vital to reaching marginalised populations, are being deprioritised,” the statement said.
WHO says that given a wide range of treatment options, HIV has become a chronic treatable infection, if appropriately managed, but increased domestic funding and strengthened HIV services are urgently needed to reach the goal of ending AIDS by 2030.
HIV programmes continue to rely heavily on shrinking external funds.
Domestic investments remain woefully inadequate. Meanwhile, stigma, discrimination, punitive laws, and the lack of community-based services continue to represent major obstacles to prevention, testing, and care.
Dr. Balkhy says that without urgent action, the number of new HIV infections and deaths will rise, health systems will face greater strain, and the goal of ending AIDS by 2030 will be missed.
“It is only through scaling up the response by sustaining and increasing investment, reigniting commitment, embracing innovation, and fully integrating HIV services into health programmes that countries will be able to accelerate and sustain progress towards ending AIDS as a public health threat,” he noted.
Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is an infection that attacks the body’s immune system, specifically white blood cells (CD4 cells).
HIV destroys CD4 cells, weakening a person’s immunity against opportunistic infections, including tuberculosis and fungal infections, severe bacterial infections, and some cancers.
Although there is no cure for HIV infection, with access to effective HIV prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and care, including for opportunistic infections, HIV infection has become a manageable chronic health condition, enabling people living with HIV to lead long and healthy lives.
Kenya currently has 1.3 million people living with HIV on treatment, but the rise in new infections, especially in Nairobi and among the youth, remains a key concern for health authorities.
The Kenya AIDS Response Progress Report 2025 shows a sharp rise in mother-to-child transmission of HIV, which has now surpassed the 9 per cent mark for the first time in years.
Experts say sustained awareness campaigns and improved access to testing and prevention tools are needed to reverse the upward trend before the 2030 target of ending AIDS as a public health threat.
By Wangari Ndirangu
