World AIDS Day 2025: India Achieves 49% Decline in New HIV Cases; Why the Day Is Celebrated & Key Facts

World AIDS Day 2025 is observed on December 1 every year to raise awareness about HIV and support people living with the virus. It is one of the eight official global public health campaigns recognised by the World Health Organization. The theme of this year's World AIDS Day is "Overcoming disruption, transforming the AIDS response."

Why Is World AIDS Day Celebrated?

World AIDS Day was first celebrated in 1988, making it the world's first-ever international health day. The purpose of this day is to bring governments, health organisations, NGOs, communities, and individuals together to fight HIV.
World AIDS Day is celebrated to spread awareness about HIV transmission and prevention, support individuals living with HIV, and promote regular testing and early diagnosis. Reduce stigma and misinformation surrounding HIV/AIDS.

Globally, millions of people live with HIV, and despite medical progress, new infections still occur every year. However, the WHO is working to fight the battle against HIV/AIDS.

National AIDS Control Program in India

The government of India launched the first National AIDS Control Programme (NACP) in 1992 to slow the spread of HIV and improve the mortality rate. Over the years the NACP has been a global success story.

According to the data released by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, there has been a visible decline in AIDS cases from 0.33% in 2010 to 0.20% in 2024. At 0.20%, India's prevalence is significantly lower than the global average of 0.7%.

The report stated, "There has been a steeper decline from 1.25 lakh new infections in 2010 to 64,500 in 2024, a 49% reduction when benchmarked against the 2010 baseline in NACP terms. This surpasses the global reduction rate of 40% over the same period. In absolute numbers, India's new infections represent only about 5% of the global total (1.3 million in 2024), highlighting efficient resource allocation by the government and scale-up of antiretroviral therapy (ART) access."
Currently the NACP phase V is under action with a five-year plan from 2021 to 2026. According to PIB, this was launched as a Central Sector Scheme with an outlay of Rs. 15,471.94 crore.

The goal of this phase is to support the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goal 3.3 by helping end the HIV/AIDS epidemic as a public health threat by 2030.

Difference Between HIV & AIDS

What Is HIV?

HIV, or Human Immunodeficiency Virus, is a virus that attacks the body's immune system, specifically the CD4 cells (T-cells). If left untreated, HIV slowly weakens the immune system, making it difficult for the body to fight infections and diseases.
HIV is mainly spread through unprotected sexual contact, sharing infected needles or syringes, transmission from mother to child during pregnancy, childbirth, or breastfeeding, and transfusion of infected blood.

It should especially be noted that HIV is not spread through casual contact like touching, hugging, sharing utensils, or using the same toilet.

What Is AIDS?

AIDS, or the Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome, is the most advanced stage of HIV infection. Not everyone with HIV develops AIDS, especially if they start treatment early.

A person is said to have AIDS when their CD4 count drops to very low levels. They develop certain opportunistic infections or cancers. However, with timely treatment and proper medical care, people with HIV can live long, healthy lives and may never progress to AIDS.