HIV cases more than double in Middle East and North Africa
Cases of HIV have more than doubled in the Middle East and North Africa over the last decade, new research shows.
The number of new HIV infections in five countries – Jordan, Tunisia, Egypt, Morocco, and Lebanon – have risen by 116 per cent since 2010 and are expected to rise even further, according to a report from the charity Frontline Aids.
Ongoing conflicts and displacement, which have placed people in the region more at risk of HIV infection, are partly to blame for the rise, the report's authors say.
High levels of stigma in the region – including laws banning homosexuality – have also created barriers for vulnerable populations to access life-saving HIV prevention and treatments.
At least 22,962 cases of HIV were recorded in 2023, compared to less than 11,000 cases in 2010. The rise bucks global trends, which have seen a 39 per cent decrease in new HIV infections over the same period.
'This is a crisis. The MENA region is being left behind. Without urgent investment and action, we could see the HIV epidemic escalating at an unprecedented rate,' said Golda Eid, Programmes Lead at Frontline AIDS.
Decades of progress could 'unravel'
The report warns that limited political will and inadequate funding to tackle HIV in the MENA region are resulting in spiralling numbers of infections.
'I believe the actual numbers are much higher than those reported. The 116 per cent increase is linked to very limited testing coverage, and the size of the key affected population is not well known,' said Dr Mohammed El Khammas, Head of International Actions at Association for the Fight Against AIDS.
Despite surging infections, in 2023 the MENA region received less than one per cent of global funding for HIV, which Frontline Aid says leaves an 85 per cent funding shortfall to provide effective HIV response.
The report comes at the same time as experts have warned that US and UK aid cuts could trigger a huge resurgence in HIV cases, particularly in Africa, with up to 10.8 million more people expected to be infected globally by 2030 as critical HIV programmes are slashed.
'The current cuts to Pepfar and USAID-supported programmes have already disrupted access to essential HIV services, including for antiretroviral therapy and HIV prevention and testing,' said Dr Debra ten Brink, a scientist at Australia's Burnet Institute.
'Looking ahead, if other donor countries reduce funding, decades of progress to treat and prevent HIV could be unravelled.'
Frontline Aids is now calling for stronger political leadership, increased funding programs, the destigmatisation of key populations, improved service delivery, and integration of HIV into general humanitarian response to reduce the surge in infections.
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