New Delhi [India], December 1 (ANI): On World AIDS Day 2025, Catharina Boehme, Officer-in-Charge of WHO South-East Asia, highlighted how the region stands united with governments, partners, and communities under the theme “Overcoming Disruption, Transforming the AIDS Response.”
She noted that the region has made significant progress in recent years. Access to and coverage of antiretroviral treatment has reduced deaths by 62 percent from 2015 to 2024, while new infections declined by 32 percent during the same period. Currently, 85 percent of people with HIV know their status, 74 percent—approximately 2.7 million people—are receiving treatment, and 72 percent have achieved viral suppression. While encouraging, these figures remain short of the global “95-95-95” goal to end AIDS by 2030.
Boehme emphasized that across the WHO South-East Asia Region, the burden of HIV remains substantial. Last year, 88,000 people were newly infected, and approximately 50,000 people died of HIV-related causes. Today, about 3.5 million people in the region live with HIV. These challenges are compounded by 42 million people living with hepatitis B, seven million with hepatitis C, and 60 million with sexually transmitted infections.
Vulnerable populations remain particularly at risk. HIV prevalence rates are higher among men who have sex with men, people who inject drugs, transgender individuals, and sex workers and their partners. Young people aged 15–24 account for nearly one-quarter of new infections in the wider Asia-Pacific region, the statement said.
While 88 percent of the 26,000 pregnant women living with HIV received antiretroviral drugs to prevent mother-to-child transmission, national coverage varies from 71 percent to more than 98 percent. Similarly, 93 percent of the 69,000 children living with HIV in the region are receiving antiretroviral drugs, though treatment coverage ranges from 67 percent to 98 percent across countries.
Despite these gaps, Boehme said that multi-disease elimination approaches remain both feasible and achievable. In October this year, Maldives became the first country in the world to be validated for Triple Elimination of mother-to-child transmission of HIV, syphilis, and hepatitis B.
She stressed that sustained investment is essential to drive progress and called on countries to prioritize six strategic actions: accelerate the 95-95-95 cascade through expanded community and self-testing, same-day antiretroviral treatment initiation, and multi-month medication dispensing for stable patients; strengthen viral-load testing and treatment retention using digital solutions; integrate elimination of mother-to-child transmission with reproductive health services; expand equitable access to new prevention tools such as lenacapavir; invest in strengthened data systems, including AI-enabled digital platforms; and safeguard financing and system resilience to maintain essential services during crises. She also urged countries to empower communities and uphold rights by addressing stigma, discrimination, and punitive laws that impede access.
Boehme affirmed that WHO remains committed to supporting Member States as they design national responses to syndemics, close remaining gaps, expand innovations, and build stronger health systems.
On World AIDS Day 2025, she called on all stakeholders to resolve to overcome disruptions, transform responses through innovation, and ensure that no one—especially the most vulnerable—is left behind.
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