By Zoila Palma: The World Health Organization is calling for intensified action across the South-East Asia Region as countries mark World AIDS Day 2025 under the theme “Overcoming disruption, transforming the AIDS response.”
According to a statement from Dr. Catharina Boehme, Officer-in-Charge for WHO South-East Asia, the region continues to face a substantial HIV burden, with 88,000 new infections and 50,000 deaths recorded last year.
An estimated 3.5 million people are currently living with HIV, alongside millions more affected by hepatitis B and C and other sexually transmitted infections. Vulnerable groups—including men who have sex with men, transgender people, sex workers, and people who inject drugs—remain disproportionately impacted.
Despite these challenges, the region has made significant progress over the past decade. Expanded access to antiretroviral therapy has driven a 62% reduction in AIDS-related deaths from 2015 to 2024, while new infections have fallen by 32%.
Today, 85% of people living with HIV know their status, 74% of those identified are receiving treatment, and 72% have achieved viral suppression. However, these gains still fall short of the global “95-95-95” targets set for 2030, and disparities persist among countries, particularly in mother-to-child transmission prevention and pediatric treatment.
Dr. Boehme highlighted both achievements and gaps, noting that while 88% of pregnant women with HIV receive lifesaving treatment, national coverage ranges widely—from 71% to over 98%. Treatment for children living with HIV shows similar variation.
Nonetheless, the region demonstrated global leadership this year when Maldives became the first country ever validated for the triple elimination of mother-to-child transmission of HIV, syphilis, and hepatitis B—an achievement WHO says proves multi-disease elimination is feasible.
To sustain momentum, WHO is urging governments to prioritize six strategic actions: accelerating the HIV testing-treatment-suppression cascade; integrating triple-screening services into maternal and reproductive health; expanding access to new prevention tools such as lenacapavir; investing in AI-enabled health data systems; safeguarding financing within resilient primary-health-care frameworks; and empowering communities by eliminating stigma and discriminatory laws.
The post International News: WHO urges renewed commitment to transform AIDS response in South-East Asia appeared first on Belize News and Opinion on www.breakingbelizenews.com.
By Zoila Palma: The World Health Organization is calling for intensified action across the South-East Asia Region as countries mark World AIDS Day 2025 under the theme “Overcoming disruption, transforming the AIDS response.” According to a statement from Dr. Catharina Boehme, Officer-in-Charge for WHO South-East Asia, the region continues to face a substantial HIV burden,
The post International News: WHO urges renewed commitment to transform AIDS response in South-East Asia appeared first on Belize News and Opinion on www.breakingbelizenews.com.
