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Recent data from UNAIDS indicates a significant decline in condom usage in Nigeria, with a 55 percent decrease in distribution over the last year. This troubling statistic was revealed on Tuesday as the UN organization unveiled its 2025 World AIDS Day report entitled Overcoming Disruption, Transforming the AIDS Response.
UNAIDS cautioned that the global effort to combat HIV is encountering its most challenging setbacks in decades, with major disruptions affecting prevention, testing, and community support services. The agency observed that in 13 countries, there has been a decrease in the number of new treatment enrollments, raising concerns for virus control efforts.
Particularly worrisome is the situation in sub-Saharan Africa, where approximately 450,000 women have lost access to “mother mentors,” who are vital community workers providing support to pregnant women and new mothers seeking HIV care.
UNAIDS attributed this decline in essential services to sudden funding cuts and deteriorating human rights conditions in various nations.
Winnie Byanyima, the UNAIDS Executive Director, emphasized the devastating consequences of these trends. While speaking in Geneva, she reminded world leaders that behind each statistic lies a real individual dependent on access to care. She highlighted the missed early HIV screenings for infants, the lack of prevention support for young women, and entire communities that have been left without critical services.
“Millions of lives depend on the choices we make today,” she stressed, urging leaders not to let the current disruptions undo years of progress.
Before these setbacks, adolescent girls and young women were already at significant risk, with 570 new infections reported daily among females aged 15 to 24. According to UNAIDS, the collapse of prevention programs has now made them even more vulnerable.
Community-based organizations, which are vital to the HIV response, are also facing difficulties. Over 60 percent of women-led groups have had to halt essential services.
UNAIDS warned that without a restoration of prevention initiatives, there could be an additional 3.3 million HIV infections from 2025 to 2030.
The report also highlights a drastic decline in international health funding, with OECD projections suggesting a potential 30 to 40 percent reduction in funding by next year compared to 2023. The agency noted the rapid and severe impact, particularly in low- and middle-income countries.
UNAIDS has called for global leaders to reaffirm their commitment to solidarity, uphold international agreements, including those established at the G20 Summit in South Africa, and to enhance funding for nations reliant on external support.
