The World Health Organization launched a new report on Jul. 28 assessing progress in implementing the Global Health Sector Strategies on HIV, viral hepatitis, and sexually transmitted infections for 2022–2030.
The report was released during the 26th International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2026) and ahead of World Hepatitis Day. It highlights achievements such as an estimated 32 million people living with HIV receiving treatment by the end of 2025. Since 2010, new HIV infections have fallen by 42% and AIDS-related deaths by 57%. However, there are still nine million people lacking access to life-saving HIV treatment, with new infections rising in several regions among key populations including men who have sex with men, sex workers, people who inject drugs, transgender people, and people in prisons.
Progress has also been reported for viral hepatitis. Since 2015, annual hepatitis B infections have decreased by 32%, while hepatitis C-related deaths have fallen globally by 12%. Despite these gains, viral hepatitis remains one of the world’s deadliest infectious diseases with an estimated 1.3 million lives lost in 2024 and mortality continuing to rise. The response to sexually transmitted infections has been mixed; countries have improved syphilis screening during pregnancy and increased HPV vaccination coverage modestly but face rising STI rates in some areas as well as growing resistance to antibiotics used for gonorrhoea.
The report outlines ongoing gaps that hinder efforts to eliminate these epidemics by 2030. For HIV specifically, reductions in international donor funding disrupted prevention programs such as pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) access in several countries during 2025. While some governments stepped in to sustain services, preliminary data show declines in PrEP use across certain communities. For viral hepatitis B specifically, deaths linked to the disease increased by 17% since 2015 due largely to low diagnosis and treatment coverage despite effective medicines being available.
Integration is identified as a major opportunity for accelerating progress: countries achieving strong results are delivering services for all three diseases through primary health care alongside tuberculosis care and maternal health services. Expanding digital health solutions; strengthening surveillance systems; scaling up multi-disease testing platforms; ensuring equitable access to innovations like twice-yearly injectable lenacapavir; introducing doxycycline post-exposure prophylaxis for bacterial STIs; supporting community leadership; embedding community-generated data into monitoring systems—all are recommended strategies.
"This assessment is more than a progress report; it is a practical guide for action for the second half of this strategy period," said Dr. Tereza Kasaeva, Director of WHO's Department for HIV, TB, Hepatitis and STIs. "It highlights where countries are succeeding, where progress is stalling, and where investments can have the greatest impact. Together with our new consolidated HIV service delivery and HIV surveillance guidance, WHO is equipping countries with practical tools to strengthen programmes today and reach the people and communities who need them most." The release comes shortly after adoption of the United Nations High-Level Meeting Political Declaration on HIV/AIDS.
