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Will HIV Make a Comeback as Progress is Threatened?

Remarkable progress in HIV science has brought us a groundbreaking long-acting injectable drug offering six months of protection, a potential game-changer in the fight against the epidemic. However, decades of hard-won gains are under threat as political and social challenges loom, reports the International Aids Society.

Millions of people are at risk of losing access to life-saving treatment due to the suspension of aid funding by the United States. In addition, regressive policies and human rights abuses, such as Uganda's anti-gay laws are fueling the epidemic in regions with the highest HIV burdens.

These setbacks threaten the UNAIDS 95-95-95 targets, which aim to ensure that by 2030, 95% of people living with HIV know their status, receive treatment, and achieve viral suppression. In light of funding cuts, clinic closures, and rising stigma, will HIV make a devastating comeback, reversing years of progress and putting millions of lives at risk?

InFocus

Nakisanze Segawa/GPJ

A woman in Kampala, Uganda, holds her HIV treatment drugs in May 2022. Hundreds of thousands of Ugandans living with HIV are not on antiretroviral medication, and concerns are growing that a US executive order could affect access to HIV prevention and treatment, largely funded by PEPFAR.

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