What happened
The World Health Organization has released a new assessment of global progress on HIV, viral hepatitis and sexually transmitted infections, finding meaningful gains alongside major gaps that could prevent countries from meeting their 2030 goals.
The report reviews implementation of global health-sector strategies adopted in 2022. It was released during the 2026 International AIDS Conference and just before World Hepatitis Day.
WHO estimates that 32 million people living with HIV were receiving treatment by the end of 2025. Since 2010, new HIV infections have fallen by 42 per cent and AIDS-related deaths by 57 per cent. However, about nine million people still do not have access to life-saving HIV treatment, and new infections are increasing in several regions and among some populations.
Hepatitis and STI warning signs
The picture for viral hepatitis is mixed. WHO reports that annual hepatitis B infections have declined by 32 per cent since 2015, while hepatitis C-related deaths have fallen by 12 per cent. At the same time, viral hepatitis caused an estimated 1.3 million deaths in 2024, and deaths linked specifically to hepatitis B have risen by 17 per cent since 2015.
Progress on sexually transmitted infections is also uneven. Countries have improved some policies, pregnancy screening and treatment for syphilis, while HPV vaccination coverage has risen modestly. But STI incidence is climbing in several places, and antibiotic resistance is making gonorrhoea harder to manage. Gaps in diagnostics, surveillance, funding and cervical-cancer screening remain significant.
Why integration matters
WHO argues that countries achieving stronger results are increasingly combining HIV, hepatitis and STI services with primary care, tuberculosis programs, reproductive health, maternal and child health, and other routine services.
That approach can make testing and treatment easier to reach while reducing the burden of navigating separate systems. The organization also highlights interoperable health-data systems, multi-disease testing platforms and stronger use of community-generated information.
New prevention tools could help if access is equitable. WHO points to twice-yearly injectable lenacapavir for HIV prevention, now being introduced in 10 countries with another 14 planning rollouts. It also identifies doxycycline post-exposure prophylaxis as a potential option for reducing bacterial STIs among people at substantial risk.
What to watch next
Funding stability is a central concern. WHO says donor reductions in 2025 disrupted HIV prevention services in several countries, including access to pre-exposure prophylaxis.
The coming years will show whether national governments can protect essential services, expand diagnosis and treatment, and place affected communities in real decision-making roles. Scientific progress has created better tools, but reaching the 2030 targets will depend on reliable systems that deliver them to people who are still being left behind.