WHO Report Warns Global Progress Against HIV and Hepatitis is Losing Momentum

The report records encouraging progress against viral hepatitis, with annual hepatitis B infections falling by 32% since 2015 and hepatitis C-related deaths declining by 12%.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has released a new global assessment showing that major progress has been made in tackling HIV, viral hepatitis and sexually transmitted infections (STIs), while warning that funding cuts, rising inequalities and humanitarian crises are threatening to slow or even reverse those achievements.

The report, launched during the 26th International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2026) ahead of World Hepatitis Day on 28 July, reviews progress under the Global Health Sector Strategies (GHSS) for 2022–2030. It shows that millions more people are receiving treatment and prevention services, yet large gaps remain that could jeopardize the goal of ending these epidemics by 2030.

WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the findings demonstrate what countries can achieve by investing in health systems, science and communities, while also revealing how quickly progress can be undermined by financial disruptions and unequal access to care.

HIV treatment expands but millions remain without care

By the end of 2025, an estimated 32 million people living with HIV were receiving treatment. Since 2010, new HIV infections have fallen by 42%, while AIDS-related deaths have dropped by 57%, reflecting decades of global investment in prevention and treatment.

Despite these gains, around 9 million people still do not have access to life-saving HIV medicines. The report also notes that new infections continue to increase in several regions, particularly among key populations such as men who have sex with men, sex workers, people who inject drugs, transgender people and people in prisons.

WHO also raised concerns that reductions in international donor funding during 2025 disrupted HIV prevention programmes in several countries, leading to lower access to pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP). Early evidence suggests PrEP use has already declined in some communities.

Hepatitis and STI challenges continue to grow

The report records encouraging progress against viral hepatitis, with annual hepatitis B infections falling by 32% since 2015 and hepatitis C-related deaths declining by 12%. Even so, viral hepatitis remained responsible for an estimated 1.3 million deaths in 2024, making it one of the world's deadliest infectious diseases. Deaths linked to hepatitis B have increased by 17% since 2015, largely because many people are still not diagnosed or treated despite effective medicines being available.

Progress against sexually transmitted infections has been uneven. More countries are screening pregnant women for syphilis and expanding HPV vaccination programmes, yet STI rates continue to rise in several regions. WHO also warned that increasing antibiotic resistance in gonorrhoea is becoming a serious public health concern, while limited surveillance and inadequate diagnostic services continue to hamper national responses.

Integrated health services seen as the way forward

WHO says integrating HIV, hepatitis and STI services into primary healthcare offers the greatest opportunity to accelerate progress over the next five years. Countries achieving the strongest results are increasingly combining these services with tuberculosis care, maternal and child health, sexual and reproductive healthcare and noncommunicable disease programmes.

The report also highlights the growing role of digital health technologies, stronger surveillance systems and innovative prevention tools. These include WHO-recommended twice-yearly injectable lenacapavir for HIV prevention, which is already being introduced in 10 countries, with rollout planned in another 14. WHO also pointed to doxycycline post-exposure prophylaxis as a promising option for reducing bacterial STIs among people at higher risk.

Alongside the report, WHO released its first consolidated HIV service delivery guidelines and updated HIV surveillance guidance to help countries strengthen prevention, testing, treatment and long-term care while improving the use of health data to guide public health decisions.