UNAIDS disclosed that the number of condoms handed out in Nigeria dropped by 55 % between December 2024 and March 2025, representing one of the steepest reductions ever observed in the nation’s HIV‑prevention campaign.
This sharp decline is directly linked to abrupt cuts in financing, which have severely weakened the social‑marketing and community‑based initiatives that normally provide free or low‑cost protection.The funding shortfall includes a temporary suspension of U.S. assistance for HIV programs, forcing many distribution networks to scale back or cease operations altogether.
Young people, who rely heavily on these free supplies to guard against HIV and other sexually transmitted infections, have been hit especially hard by the loss of access.
Similar financial constraints have emerged in other countries, such as Uganda, Vietnam and Burundi, where preventive‑medicine distribution has also plummeted. Globally, about 2.5 million individuals have lost access to pre‑exposure prophylaxis (PrEP).
UNAIDS warns that if funding and services are not quickly restored, an additional 3.3 million HIV infections could occur worldwide between 2025 and 2030.
Executive Director Winnie Byanyima called for renewed political and financial commitment, urging governments to raise domestic health budgets, safeguard rights‑based programs, and invest in innovative, long‑acting prevention tools.
She stressed that community‑led efforts remain essential to an effective response and that immediate action is required to preserve the gains made over the past decade.
