World AIDS Day: Latin America Sees Rise in New Infections

A total of 2.8 million people are living with HIV in Latin America and the Caribbean, a region where the annual decline in new infections is not at the pace needed to meet the global goal of ending AIDS as a public health threat by 2030. Despite biomedical and programmatic advances, inequalities continue to determine real access to health services. However, its impact remains limited due to its inaccessibility in many low- and middle-income countries in Latin America. World AIDS Day also underscores the indispensable role of communities, including grassroots organizations, people living with HIV, health workers, and activists who sustain the response even in political, economic, and social crises. The region records a 9% increase in new infections while the world achieves sustained declines. In the Caribbean, 340,000 people are living with the virus, with 15,000 new infections and nearly 4,000 deaths in the same period. The end of the epidemic will only be possible when all people, regardless of their identity or origin, have full access to prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and a life free from stigma. On this World AIDS Day, AHF will conduct free HIV testing and commemorative activities in over 45 countries, including a special concert at the Monument to the Revolution in Mexico City, scheduled to start at 4 PM. Communities have played a crucial role in the epidemic response, providing services where the public system could not. The pandemic is still active, and structural gaps in prevention, diagnosis, and treatment remain significant challenges. While new HIV transmissions have decreased by 40% globally since 2010, the trend in Latin America shows a 9% increase, showing that the region is lagging behind global advances. Patricia Campos, Head of the AHF Bureau for Latin America and the Caribbean, warns about the persistence of inequalities in the region, where a significant proportion of people still do not know their diagnosis and where institutional barriers prevail for comprehensive care. Guillermo Bustamante Vera, Country Program Coordinator for AHF Mexico, points out that scientific progress contrasts with limitations such as lack of budget, information, and sustained policies, which continue to weaken the national and regional response to HIV. One of the most critical challenges is the high cost of some medications, including new long-acting injectable regimens for prevention and treatment. More than half of those living with the virus are women and girls, a group that also represents a significant proportion of new transmissions, emphasizing the gender dimension of the epidemic. In Latin America, UNAIDS estimates that 2.5 million people are living with HIV, with about 120,000 new infections and 27,000 AIDS-related deaths only in 2024. At 44 years since the first cases, the pandemic continues to be active, and structural gaps in prevention, diagnosis, and treatment persist as substantial challenges. According to the latest UNAIDS report, in 2024 approximately 40.8 million people were living with HIV worldwide and 1.3 million people acquired the virus that same year. Among them stands out Lenacapavir, which has demonstrated high levels of protection and preventive capability for up to six months with a single dose, representing the closest tool to a 'social vaccine' against HIV that public health has had. Dr. Margarita López, Director of Prevention at UNAIDS, emphasizes that women and girls, LGBTIQ+ people, sex workers, people who use drugs, and other key populations face disproportionate barriers associated with stigma, discrimination, and social inequity. These factors directly impact diagnostic detection, therapeutic adherence, and continuity of care. Although deaths from AIDS-related causes have decreased by more than half in the last decade, around 630,000 people continue to die annually. Thanks to these community networks, millions of people have managed to access information, testing, and timely treatment. On this World AIDS Day, the unified message is: 'prevent, live, and act on HIV.' On this World AIDS Day, the message is unequivocal: AIDS is not over.