ποΈ
HIV / AIDS
Roughly 630,000 deaths a year, and about 40 million people living with HIV
β Improving
π©Ί Health
π§ Understand
The trend
Deaths are down roughly 70% from the 2004 peak thanks to antiretroviral therapy β one of medicine's great comebacks β but funding cuts now threaten the gains.
The scale
On the order of 40 million people live with HIV and 1.3 million are newly infected each year. Around 9 million still aren't on treatment β which is why roughly 630,000 still die annually from a manageable condition.
Root causes
A virus spread through sex, blood and childbirth. What keeps it killing is not biology but access and stigma: people untested, untreated, or afraid to seek either.
Who suffers most
Sub-Saharan Africa carries about two-thirds of the burden; adolescent girls and young women face several times the infection risk of their male peers. Key marginalized groups face both the virus and criminalization.
Common misconception
"HIV is either a death sentence or a solved problem." Neither: a person on treatment has near-normal life expectancy and cannot transmit the virus (undetectable = untransmittable) β yet hundreds of thousands still die yearly purely for lack of access.
β‘ What actually works
Antiretroviral therapy at scale
Strong evidence
Daily pills that suppress the virus to undetectable β the person stays healthy and cannot pass it on.
Cost & effect: Generic first-line treatment costs well under $100 per person-year; treatment-as-prevention is why new infections keep falling.
PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis)
Strong evidence
A preventive pill or long-acting injection for people at high risk.
Cost & effect: Reduces sexual transmission risk by ~99% when taken; new twice-yearly injectables may be a turning point for hard-to-reach groups.
Preventing mother-to-child transmission
Strong evidence
Testing and treating mothers so babies are born HIV-free.
Cost & effect: Cheap, near-total protection; vertical transmission has collapsed wherever coverage is high.
π§ Act
πΆ With your money
Fund org types delivering treatment, testing and PrEP in high-burden regions β proven, funding-constrained work.
β° With your time
Volunteer with local HIV testing and support organizations; stigma dies through contact.
π οΈ With your skills
Health workers, counselors and supply-chain professionals keep treatment programs running.
π£ With your voice
Spread "undetectable = untransmittable" β accurate knowledge is itself an anti-stigma, anti-transmission tool.
π£ Share this
β Questions people ask
How can I help with hiv / aids?
There's a concrete step for whatever you can offer. With your money, fund org types delivering treatment, testing and PrEP in high-burden regions β proven, funding-constrained work. With your time, volunteer with local HIV testing and support organizations; stigma dies through contact. With your skills, health workers, counselors and supply-chain professionals keep treatment programs running. With your voice, spread "undetectable = untransmittable" β accurate knowledge is itself an anti-stigma, anti-transmission tool.
What is the most effective way to reduce hiv / aids?
The approaches with the strongest evidence: Antiretroviral therapy at scale: Daily pills that suppress the virus to undetectable β the person stays healthy and cannot pass it on. Generic first-line treatment costs well under $100 per person-year; treatment-as-prevention is why new infections keep falling. PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis): A preventive pill or long-acting injection for people at high risk. Reduces sexual transmission risk by ~99% when taken; new twice-yearly injectables may be a turning point for hard-to-reach groups.
Where should I donate to help with hiv / aids?
Impact Compass doesn't name individual charities. The higher-leverage path is to back the interventions that work best here (Antiretroviral therapy at scale, PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis)) and to choose organizations by how transparently they deliver them. Compare organization types for this cause with the free tools linked above, or give useful items directly through Givelink.
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Rough figures for context, drawing on: UNAIDS Β· WHO Β· Our World in Data. Approximations, not citations. Last reviewed 2026-07-16.
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