Regional Alliance to accelerate HIV elimination in the Americas

Dec 08, 2025 News

The Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO) last week launched the Regional Alliance for HIV Elimination in the Americas, a platform that brings together governments, communities, international agencies, academia, and the private sector to advance measures to reduce new infections and AIDS-related deaths.

The Americas have made progress against HIV, but challenges persist. In 2024, an estimated 170,000 new infections and 38,000 AIDS-related deaths were recorded, according to UNAIDS. While the Caribbean reduced new infections by 21% from 2010 to 2024, Latin America saw a 13% increase during the same period. Despite advances in diagnosis and treatment, gaps remain in access to services, especially among populations at higher risk of infection.

“This platform is a call to rethink approaches, rebuild partnerships, and strengthen collective action in prevention, diagnosis, and treatment, ensuring universal access to innovative, life-saving technologies,” said Monica Alonso, Chief of PAHO’s Unit on HIV, Hepatitis, Tuberculosis and Sexually Transmitted Infections. “We must also move toward eliminating the barriers that hinder access to services.”

Three pillars to accelerate progress toward elimination

The alliance focuses on three priority areas in achieving the elimination of HIV as a public health problem in the region:

Timely and expanded diagnosis, with an emphasis on scaling up HIV self-testing to facilitate testing;

Expansion of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), both oral and injectable, including the introduction of Lenacapavir, the first twice-yearly injectable prophylaxis that represents a breakthrough for improving adherence and access for populations at risk;

Effective and optimised antiretroviral treatment, which ensures sustained viral suppression and reduced transmission.

According to PAHO projections, scaling up the combined use of oral and injectable PrEP could reduce new infections by more than 70% over the next four years. If paired with expanded antiretroviral treatment, new infections could drop by more than 90% across Latin America and the Caribbean.

“Scientific and technological progress achieved in recent years makes it possible to say that HIV elimination is now within reach,” Alonso said. “Biomedical innovation is essential, but so are policies and enabling social environments that ensure this progress benefits all people equitably,” she added.

The Americas have reached historic milestones in the elimination of communicable diseases, including smallpox, polio, measles, and rubella, and several countries have certified the elimination of mother-to-child transmission of HIV and syphilis. The region also benefits from mechanisms such as PAHO’s Revolving Funds, which enable access to high-quality medicines, equipment, technologies, and health supplies at affordable prices. The introduction of Lenacapavir through regional joint procurement mechanisms offers an opportunity to improve access to innovative technologies and accelerate the elimination of the virus in the region.

Alliance governance

The alliance seeks to position HIV elimination as a regional priority aligned with the Sustainable Health Agenda for the Americas 2018-2030 and with PAHO’s Elimination Initiative. It serves as a multisectoral platform to coordinate efforts, harmonize regulations, and promote sustainable financing. PAHO will serve as the technical Secretariat of the Alliance. In coordination with UNAIDS, the Horizontal Technical Cooperation Group (GCTH), governments, communities, academia, and other partners, PAHO will promote spaces for dialogue, innovation, and advocacy to accelerate the introduction of new prevention, diagnosis, and treatment tools and to advance toward zero HIV-related deaths by 2030.

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Americas, Elimination, HIV, PAHO, Regional Alliance, UNAIDS

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