About 1.2 million people in the U.S. live with HIV and 13% don\u2019t know they have it<\/p>\n<\/h3>\n
By I. Edwards HealthDay Reporter<\/b>
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WEDNESDAY, Dec. 3, 2025 (HealthDay News) \u2014 For the first time in more than three decades, the United States did not take part in World AIDS Day<\/a> on December 1, a major change from past years when the day was used to raise awareness about HIV\/AIDS and honor the millions of people lost to the disease.<\/p>\n World AIDS Day has been observed globally since 1988. Around the world, 39.9 million people are living with HIV<\/a>, including about 1.2 million in the United States. U.S. health officials<\/a> also report that 13% of people with HIV don\u2019t know they have it, which continues to fuel new infections.<\/p>\n The day was originally created by the World Health Organization (WHO). The United States withdrew from the agency earlier this year under the Trump administration, although World AIDS Day is now recognized by many other health organizations and communities worldwide.<\/p>\n Instead of participating, U.S. officials said they are shifting their focus to a new global health approach, CNN <\/em>reported.<\/p>\n “An awareness day is not a strategy,” State Department deputy spokesperson Tommy Pigott<\/a> said in a statement.<\/p>\n He added that “the State Department is working directly with foreign governments to save lives and increase their responsibility and burden sharing.”<\/p>\n A senior administration official emphasized that the United States will continue HIV\/AIDS work through both the new strategy and the President\u2019s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief<\/a> (PEPFAR), the long-running program first launched under President George W. Bush<\/a>. PEPFAR has been credited with saving millions of lives.<\/p>\n Still, many public health experts worry that the new \u201cAmerica First Global Health Strategy\u201d may weaken HIV\/AIDS programs around the world.<\/p>\n They warn that foreign aid cuts and recent changes at the U.S. Agency for International Development could strain public health systems that are already struggling.<\/p>\n Dr. Anna Person<\/a>, chair of the Infectious Diseases Society of America\u2019s HIV Medicine Association, told CNN <\/em>that the \u201cefforts to unravel our country\u2019s HIV response\u201d are concerning.<\/p>\n \u201cErasing HIV from the federal budget will not make the deadly virus go away but will reverse the progress made toward ending the HIV epidemic,\u201d she explained. \u201cWithout continued research and support for HIV prevention, surveillance and services, new HIV transmissions and health care expenditures will climb, and people will die.\u201d<\/p>\n There are several ways individuals can get involved in World Aids Day<\/a>.<\/p>\n More information<\/strong><\/p>\n The World Health Organization has more on World AIDS Day<\/a>.<\/p>\n