We Honor World AIDS Day- Even if Our Government Won't.

by Ashley Heidebrecht, LMSW, DRIEP Director

Today is World AIDS Day. This year, for the first time ever since its inception in 1988, the United States government has chosen not to recognize this day.

In the midst of incredible cuts to funding for HIV and AIDS research and programs, this choice speaks volumes.

A new UNAIDS report shows just how fragile our progress against HIV really is. Sixty percent of women-led HIV organizations have been deeply affected by recent funding cuts. Access to PrEP has dropped in many countries. NGOs in the U.S. and around the world are scaling back services. And the consequence is real: after years of decline, new HIV cases could begin to rise again.

Right now, about 40 million people globally are living with HIV. In 2024 alone, 1.3 million people contracted HIV and more than 600,000 died. In the U.S., 1.2 million people are living with HIV, and about 32,000 people newly contract HIV each year. These numbers had been moving in the right direction: down. In the U.S., numbers fell 12% from 2018 to 2022, thanks to breakthroughs like long-acting injectable PrEP and treatments that can bring viral load to undetectable levels. We know U = U; Undetectable equals untransmittable. The science is not the problem. AIDS is preventable. HIV is preventable. And the research and programs being cut make that prevention possible.

What threatens our progress now is not lack of knowledge or resources, it's stigma, discrimination, widening inequality, and a government willing to let lifesaving services erode. Funding cuts don’t just strain organizations, they push people out of care, deepen shame, and put entire communities at risk. And while World AIDS Day can’t fix these failures on its own, it reminds us just how high the stakes are.

This moment calls for responsibility at every level. Yes, we must demand better from our government. But we also have a role in either reinforcing or dismantling stigma in our own communities. The gains we’ve made are real, and they are absolutely at risk.

In honor of World AIDS Day, in honor of those who have lost their lives and those living with HIV or AIDS, join us for our final PUSH training. Together we can fight HIV stigma, encourage testing for everyone, advocate for research and prevention programs, and prevent AIDS from taking more lives.

Learn more and register for this free opportunity here: https://www.driep.org/live-webinars-and-events