The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) says condom distribution for HIV/AIDS prevention in Nigeria has declined by 55 per cent between last December and March this year.
The figure, released Tuesday in UNAIDS’ 2025 World AIDS Day report, Overcoming Disruption, Transforming the AIDS Response, highlights what the agency described as widespread setbacks affecting prevention, testing, and community-based programmes across multiple countries.
The report noted that countless additional deaths have occurred from AIDS, while 2.5 million people have lost access to essential HIV medication—an outcome linked to cuts in global programmes since Donald Trump returned to the White House.
“Persistent funding shortfalls and the perilous risks facing the global HIV response are having profound, lasting effects on the health and well-being of millions of people throughout the world,” the UNAIDS report stated.
For countries like Nigeria, which depend heavily on donor support to sustain prevention systems, the impact has been “immediate and severe,” the report added.
UNAIDS said its community partners have already reported deaths among people living with HIV as a result of the closure of local clinics and treatment centres. However, the exact number remains unclear due to ongoing data collection.
According to the report, the global AIDS response entered “crisis mode” after the United States — the largest donor providing 75% of international HIV funding — temporarily halted all HIV-related funding earlier in the year.
Other donor countries, including several in Europe, have also drastically scaled back foreign aid after being pressured to increase defence spending.
Although some HIV programmes have since resumed under the U.S. PEPFAR initiative, overall funding remains in decline, placing 2030 targets for ending AIDS as a public health threat at significant risk.
UNAIDS Executive Director Winnie Byanyima told reporters in Geneva that the agency is now working with at least 30 countries to expand domestic financing and reduce dependence on international donors. She stressed, however, that the funding gap cannot be closed immediately.
The report estimates that 40.8 million people are currently living with HIV, with 1.3 million new infections recorded in 2024. It also indicates that 2.5 million people have lost access to PrEP, the preventive HIV medication, as of October 2025.
Byanyima noted sharp declines in the distribution of preventive medicines in countries such as Uganda (31%), Vietnam (21%), and Burundi (64%).
A joint survey conducted this year by UNAIDS and the ATHENA Network found that nearly half of women and adolescent girls reported disruptions in HIV prevention and treatment services.
Globally, HIV infections fell by 39% in 2023 compared to 2010, with sub-Saharan Africa recording the steepest reduction of 56%. Despite this progress, an estimated 1.3 million people still acquired HIV in 2023—more than triple the 2025 target of 370,000.
The report emphasised that “condom use remains the most effective low-cost HIV prevention method,” but noted that condom programmes have been defunded in many countries, leading to declining usage, including among young people.
A widening funding gap continues to hinder the HIV response.
UNAIDS reported that US$19.8 billion was available for HIV programmes in low- and middle-income countries in 2023—almost US$9.5 billion below the amount required in 2025. Adjusted for inflation, total HIV funding is now at its lowest level in more than a decade.
Both domestic and international funding sources are under significant pressure. Domestic HIV funding fell for the fourth consecutive year in 2023, while international contributions were nearly 20% below their 2013 peak.
The agency warned that declines would be far more severe without continued support from the Global Fund and the U.S. Government.
UNAIDS called on world leaders to renew political and financial commitments to ending AIDS, referencing pledges made at the recent G20 summit in South Africa.
The agency urged increased investment in affordable long-acting prevention tools and stressed the importance of community-led initiatives and human rights protections, which remain central to an effective global HIV response.