WHO warns donor funding cuts could reverse HIV gains, put Nigeria at greater risk

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has warned that declining international funding for HIV programmes could reverse decades of progress in the fight against the virus across Africa, with Nigeria identified among the countries most vulnerable due to its heavy dependence on donor support for prevention, testing and treatment.

The warning is contained in the WHO’s latest assessment of the Global Health Sector Strategies on HIV, Viral Hepatitis and Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs), released on Monday during the 26th International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2026).

According to the report, global efforts against HIV have yielded significant progress over the past decade, with new infections falling by 42 per cent and AIDS-related deaths declining by 57 per cent since 2010. However, the organisation cautioned that the gains remain fragile, noting that about nine million people worldwide are still without access to life-saving HIV treatment.

WHO said funding disruptions recorded in 2025 have already begun to affect prevention services in several countries, raising fears that the global response could lose momentum if financial support continues to decline.

The organisation disclosed that access to pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), a medication used to prevent HIV infection, has reduced in some countries following cuts in donor funding, despite efforts by governments to sustain essential health services.

For Nigeria, which has one of the highest HIV burdens globally, the development has heightened concerns over the sustainability of programmes that have for years relied heavily on international development partners for funding and implementation.

WHO Director-General, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, warned that years of achievements could be erased if governments and development partners fail to maintain investments in healthcare.

“This report tells two stories. It demonstrates what is possible when countries invest in health, communities and science. But it also shows how quickly progress can be undone with funding disruptions, humanitarian emergencies and persistent inequalities,” Ghebreyesus said.

Beyond HIV, the report identified viral hepatitis as an increasing public health concern despite notable improvements in prevention and treatment.

According to WHO, hepatitis B infections have declined by 32 per cent since 2015, while deaths linked to hepatitis C have fallen by 12 per cent. Nevertheless, viral hepatitis claimed an estimated 1.3 million lives globally in 2024, with hepatitis B-related deaths rising by 17 per cent over the same period.

Nigeria remains one of the countries with a high burden of hepatitis B, although health experts have repeatedly raised concerns over low testing rates and limited access to treatment, factors they say continue to contribute to preventable deaths from liver disease.

The global health agency also expressed concern over the rising incidence of sexually transmitted infections, warning that increasing resistance to antibiotics used in treating gonorrhoea poses a growing public health challenge.

To prevent a reversal of global health gains, WHO urged countries to strengthen domestic financing for HIV, hepatitis and STI programmes, integrate disease services into primary healthcare systems, improve surveillance mechanisms and expand access to innovative prevention methods, including the newly recommended twice-yearly injectable lenacapavir for HIV prevention.

WHO Director of HIV, Tuberculosis, Hepatitis and STIs, Dr Tereza Kasaeva, described the report as a roadmap for countries to accelerate progress towards eliminating the three diseases as public health threats by 2030.

The report comes as Nigeria and several other countries face increasing pressure to bridge funding gaps created by declining international health assistance while sustaining efforts to meet the global target of ending HIV, viral hepatitis and sexually transmitted infections as public health threats by the end of the decade.

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