Yesterday was World AIDS Day 2024, and even though there is a lot to celebrate on the achievements up to this year, we still have some work ahead of us to end AIDS, tuberculosis (TB), and other infectious diseases.
World AIDS Day 2024
“To get back on track and end AIDS as a public health threat once and for all will take more money and better science, but above all, it will take unswerving commitment to tackle the inequalities that fuel the epidemic. That’s a challenge we can and must rise to.” – Peter Sands, Executive Director of the Global Fund
KNCV Tuberculosis Foundation’s long-lasting partner, the Global Fund, invests more than US$5 billion a year in over 100 countries to fight HIV, TB and malaria, strengthening health and community systems and enhancing preparedness for future pandemics.
Stronger health systems and resilient communities, supported by the investment of the Global Fund in 2023 resulted in:
- 25 million people receiving antiretroviral therapy (ART) for HIV.
- 53.8 million HIV tests taken (13.1 million by priority and key populations).
- 17.9 million people reached with HIV prevention services (8 million people from key populations).
- 695,000 mothers living with HIV receiving medicine to keep them alive and preventing transmitting HIV to their babies.
- 925,000 voluntary medical male circumcisions performed for HIV prevention.
- 322,000 people initiating oral antiretroviral pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP).
Read the story of Kenya’s Vihiga County Referral Hospital with integrated HIV, TB and malaria care, supporting mothers-to-be and newborns.
Despite these achievements, HIV continues to be a deadly global health threat
In 2023, over 630,000 people died from an AIDS-related illness and from the 1.25 million total deaths related to TB, 161,000 were deaths from TB in people with HIV (Global TB Report 2024 , WHO). The outraging issue is: we have both the knowledge and the tools to prevent every new HIV infection and each AIDS-related death.
What can be done? 
Innovations in HIV prevention, treatment and care have proven to be saving lives. The many advancements in HIV prevention, treatment and community outreach mean that significantly more people are accessing this lifesaving care. An expanded access to these innovations has been supported by the Global Fund partnership as their aim is to leave no one behind.
We must act now to make sure that everyone living with HIV is identified, treated, supported, and has equitable access to services. We need to finally overcome this disease that millions of people continue to suffer from, and thousands die from every year.
Key actions needed to ending AIDS include but are not limited to:
- Raising awareness on HIV-AIDS prevention.
- Breaking down stigma surrounding HIV, TB and other communicable diseases.
- Accelerating access of TB preventive treatment (TPT) among people living with HIV to reach the global targets by 2030.
- Strengthening local and regional approaches to sexual and reproductive health rights (SRHR).
- Identifying and co-creating solutions together with priority populations.
- Making the knowledge and tools on prevention, treatment and care available and accessible for everyone at risk.
- Generating evidence on holistic, rights-based approaches to addressing infectious diseases, such as HIV and TB.
- Fostering partnerships among global health organizations, community-led organizations, funders and governments to tackle the HIV and TB burden.
Now is the time to accelerate the fight to end AIDS!
Learn more in the Global Fund Results Report 2024: HIV State of the Fight