HIV

UNAIDS says millions across the world lost access to treatment and preventive care due to financial shortfalls.

The United Nations agency for combating AIDS has announced that global funding disruptions for treatment and prevention programmes are leaving millions of people without access to care.

In a report released on Tuesday, UNAIDS said the global response to the disease “immediately entered crisis mode” after the United States halted funding when President Donald Trump took office in January.

The Trump administration had suspended all new foreign aid funds on January 25, except for military assistance to Israel and Egypt.

Some of the HIV funding was restored in the second half of the year, but in the wake of Trump’s decision to dismantle the US Agency for International Development (USAID), certain programmes have not resumed.

UNAIDS said the cuts were compounded by “intensifying economic and financial pressures on many low and middle-income countries”.

The funding shortfalls, it added, are having “having profound, lasting effects” on the lives of people across the world.

“People living with HIV have died due to service disruptions, millions of people at high risk of acquiring HIV have lost access to the most effective prevention tools available, over 2 million adolescent girls and young women have been deprived of essential health services, and community-led organizations have been devastated, with many being forced to close their doors,” the report read.

Due to the funding cuts, the number of people using preventive HIV medication, known as PrEP, fell by 64 percent in Burundi, 38 percent in Uganda and 21 percent in Vietnam. Condom distribution in Nigeria dropped by 55 percent.

“The funding crisis has exposed the fragility of the progress we fought so hard to achieve,” said Winnie Byanyima, the executive director of UNAIDS.

“Behind every data point in this report are people … babies missed for HIV screening, young women cut off from prevention support, and communities suddenly left without services and care. We cannot abandon them.”

Despite the financial crisis, UNAIDS said there were some positive trends emerging, including national and regional initiatives to bolster health programmes and treat the disease.

“Communities are rallying to support each other and the AIDS response. Although the most impacted countries are also some of the most indebted, limiting their ability to invest in HIV, governments have taken swift action to increase domestic funding where they can,” the report read.

“As a result, some countries have maintained or even increased the number of people receiving HIV treatment.”

The report recommends restructuring the international debt of lower-income countries and pausing their payments until 2030 to allow them to direct more resources to HIV care and prevention.

It also called for “inspiring innovation with prizes instead of patents, and treating health innovations as global public goods in times of pandemics”.

On top of dwindling funds, the report highlighted another challenge in the fight against AIDS: “a growing human rights crisis”.

“In 2025, for the first time since UNAIDS began monitoring punitive laws in 2008, the number of countries criminalizing same-sex sexual activity and gender expression increased,” it said.

“Globally, anti-gender and anti-rights movements are growing in influence and geographic reach, jeopardizing gains made to date on the rights of women and girls, people living with HIV and LGBTIQ+ people.”

Grindr has helped expand access to at-home HIV testing with Together TakeMeHome.

Back in 2023, the CDC announced the launch of Together TakeMeHome, “a project to distribute up to 1 million free HIV self-tests over the next five years.”

“HIV testing is a critical HIV prevention strategy and a key first step in the continuum of HIV care, yet too many people are unaware of their HIV status,” they said in a statement.

“By offering free HIV self-tests through mail delivery, TTMH addresses common barriers to HIV testing, such as stigma, privacy concerns, cost, and lack of access to HIV clinics, giving people who otherwise might not have tested an opportunity to know their status.”

After just two years, Together TakeMeHome has achieved its goal of distributing one million free HIV self-tests, with major help from one of its partners, Grindr.

According to the LGBTQIA+ social media company, nearly half of the kits were ordered through the app, with one in four people being first-time testers.

In a statement, the Managing Director of Grindr for Equality, Mohan Sundararaj, celebrated the major milestone, teasing that “it’s just the beginning.”

“The need for accessible testing remains urgent, especially as funding cuts and anti-LGBTQ laws threaten to reverse progress,” said Together, TakeMeHome proves that there’s a way forward that relies on collaboration, innovation, and the belief that everyone deserves the right to know their status,” Sundararaj wrote in a blog post via the Grindr website.

“At Grindr for Equality, we’re continuing to expand this model globally with public health officials, local advocates, and community organizations to remove barriers to prevention. Every test sent out is an act of care, an act of trust, and a step toward a healthier, more equitable world.”

Building Healthy Online Communities (BHOC) co-founder Jen Hecht echoed similar sentiments in a separate statement.

“Together TakeMeHome shows what’s possible when public health meets people where they are: online, in their communities, and on their terms. Reaching one million test kits is an incredible milestone for our program and the communities it serves,” Hecht said.

This program helps overcome barriers to testing, such as transportation, time, and concerns about privacy and judgment. We hear from our users that they appreciate the ease and convenience of ordering online and testing at home.

“This program is supported not only by the reach of Grindr’s digital platform but also by its advocacy, which has made a significant difference in our ability to navigate funding challenges and keep this work moving forward. It’s a powerful example of what partnership looks like in action – and we’re only getting started.”

Fortunately, the Together TakeMeHome program is showing no signs of slowing down. In September, an additional funding request for the project was approved, allowing it to distribute another 360,000 free HIV tests over the next year.

Free HIV at-home testing kits are now available for US Grindr users via the app or at together.takemehome.org

2025 has been a busy year for Grindr. Over the past few months, the company has introduced a range of new features and changes to its app.

In August, the platform introduced its new Grindr Presents feature, allowing users to access original content directly within the app.

Now, the company’s popular entertainment offerings, such as the Katya-hosted Who’s The Asshole podcast, the viral Daddy Lessons series, editorials, music drops, and more, will all be available via an in-app content hub.

In addition to making it easier for users to access their content, Grindr revealed that it will all be uncensored, so say goodbye to the unwanted bleeps and hello to Katya and friends’ uncut, profanity-filled interviews.

Lastly, the social media company teased that Grindr Presents isn’t a one-off decision; instead, it’s a “bigger shift“ into “making Grindr not just where the gays are, but where the culture is.”

A few months prior, Grindr announced an expansion of its new Right Now feature – first implemented in Australia and the greater Washington D.C. area in 2024.

The intent-based option enables users seeking an immediate connection to upload text and photos to a real-time feed, separate from the main grid.

In a statement, AJ Balance, the Chief Product Officer at Grindr, provided insight into the new feature, stating that it “empowers users to find exactly what they want, when they want it – without the guesswork.“