Overview
- New reports released at the International AIDS Conference on July 27, 2026 show international HIV assistance fell 18% in 2025 and donor government disbursements dropped $2.1 billion, the largest single-year decline since scale-up began.
- KFF and UNAIDS attribute the drop mostly to abrupt U.S. policy changes that paused and curtailed HIV aid beginning January 2025, leaving the United States to still supply roughly three quarters of donor government funding but with far less actual disbursement.
- Patient-level data presented by UC San Francisco found that new HIV patient enrollment fell 59% and viral load testing fell 33% within weeks in East Africa after the U.S. funding pause, creating immediate bottlenecks for people trying to start care.
- Independent analyses report at least 1,700 HIV clinics and service sites closed and roughly 16,000 health jobs were lost, while domestic spending rose about 4% and now covers roughly 60% of total HIV resources but does not fill the gap.
- Researchers and NGOs highlighted strong scientific advances, including twice-yearly injectable prevention and new treatment regimens, but warned that high prices, limited licensing deals, and supply constraints threaten real-world access for low- and middle-income countries.