The AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) has marked a monumental achievement, successfully providing life-saving HIV care to 2.5 million people globally, with the vast majority residing across Africa. This figure represents decades of relentless effort to stabilise communities and restore life expectancy on the continent.
Yet, this hard-won victory is dangerously close to being undermined.
Dr Penninah Iutung, Executive Vice-President of the AHF, sounded the alarm in an exclusive interview, cautioning that a potent combination of persistent social stigma and critical donor fatigue threatens to erode the profound gains made against the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Africa.
While the world debates achieving final “epidemic control,” Iutung argued that the job is “still ahead of us,” and the progress remains highly vulnerable to funding cuts and entrenched social barriers.
Iutung is adamant that the next phase of the fight is not about expanding treatment centres, but about securing the existing infrastructure and addressing the social factors that keep the disease alive.
AHF’s data shows remarkable success in testing and awareness: most African countries now report that over 70 per cent of their population knows their HIV status. The current challenge lies with the remaining 30 per cent.
“That pocket of the 30 per cent—how do you convince them to get tested?” Iutung asked. She clarified that this is not due to a lack of awareness, but rather a “decision to get tested is still an issue” driven almost entirely by fear and prejudice.
Stigma remains the number one social force preventing individuals from seeking diagnosis and care. This reluctance allows the virus to circulate undetected within hard-to-reach populations, serving as a reservoir that keeps the epidemic alive.
To address this, AHF has had to pivot its approach, relying on creative and innovative models that move beyond traditional clinic-based outreach. This includes mobilising youth advocates and peer networks, recognising that younger generations often listen to their peers more effectively than to official health authorities. These advocates champion prevention and encourage testing, transforming the conversation from within communities.
The financial pillar supporting Africa’s HIV response is showing cracks. Iutung highlighted the significant risk posed by donor fatigue, noting that fewer global donors are committed to funding specific HIV/AIDS programs.
“We do not want the gains that have been made… to be lost because a lot of effort has gone into various aspects,” she stressed.
As other global health crises, like the COVID-19 pandemic, demand attention and resources, there is a dangerous trend of reducing long-term commitment to chronic illnesses like HIV.
For AHF, which has historically focused on core advocacy around drug pricing to ensure affordability, a factor crucial for the entire continent’s ability to sustain treatment, any reduction in funding could halt expansion and jeopardise the stability of existing programs in their 49 operational countries.
The current threat overshadows AHF’s monumental history of success, which demonstrates what is at stake. The organisation’s focus on Africa, where nearly 1.4 million patients are supported, is based on the fact that the epidemic remains the biggest challenge on the continent.
AHF’s strategy to date has involved capacity building, infrastructure support and policy advocacy.
The result of this effort has been deeply personal and transformative.
“It feels good to know that we are able to reach so many individuals, and we understand that there’s a ripple effect on families and communities,” Iutung said, referencing the restoration of families where parents can live longer and the corresponding lift in life expectancy documented in countries like Malawi.
Iutung’s message is clear: the success of saving 2.5 million lives should not breed complacency. The goal is complete epidemic control, which requires sustained and targeted efforts.
AHF will continue to prioritise growth, expansion into new facilities, and unwavering advocacy for sustainable financing, according to her, noting that the success of the mission hinges on the ability of governments and global partners to resist the temptation of donor fatigue and to empower communities to overcome stigma.
These unseen barriers still prevent the world from closing the chapter on HIV/AIDS.
