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This year’s report provides a critical and up-to-date snapshot of efforts to control and eliminate malaria across 80 countries. The report also presents the threat posed by antimalarial resistance and its impact.

Unprecedented outbreaks in birds highlight the need for early detection and preparedness.

To address the growing global health challenge of obesity, which affects more than 1 billion people, WHO has released its first guideline on the use of Glucagon-Like Peptide-1 (GLP-1) therapies for treating obesity as a chronic, relapsing disease.

On World AIDS Day, the World Health Organization (WHO) calls on governments and partners to rapidly expand access to new WHO-approved tools including lenacapavir (LEN) to drive down infections and counter disruption to essential health services caused by cuts to foreign aid.

Despite dramatic funding setbacks, the global HIV response has gained a remarkable momentum in 2025 with the introduction and WHO approval of twice-yearly injectable lenacapavir for HIV prevention. LEN, a highly effective, long-acting alternative to oral pills and other options, is a transformative intervention for people who face challenges with regular adherence and stigma in accessing health care. WHO released in July this year new guidelines recommending the use of lenacapavir as an additional pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) option for HIV prevention.

Sharp and sudden reductions in international funding this year led to disruptions in HIV prevention, treatment and testing services, with essential community-led programmes, including pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) and harm reduction initiatives for people who inject drugs, being scaled back or shut down entirely in some countries.

“We face significant challenges, with cuts to international funding, and prevention stalling," said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General. “At the same time, we have significant opportunities, with exciting new tools with the potential to change the trajectory of the HIV epidemic. Expanding access to those tools for people at risk of HIV everywhere must be priority number one for all governments and partners.”

Marking World AIDS Day under the theme “Overcoming disruption, transforming the AIDS response”, WHO is urging a dual track approach – solidarity and investment in innovations to protect and empower communities most at risk.

After decades of progress, the HIV response stands at a crossroads. In 2024:

• HIV prevention efforts stagnated, with 1.3 million new infections, disproportionately impacting key and vulnerable populations;
• UNAIDS data reveal that almost half (49%) of new HIV infections occurred among key populations – including sex workers, men who have sex with men, transgender women, and people who inject drugs – and their sexual partners;
• while sex workers and transgender women face a 17-fold higher risk of acquiring HIV, men who have sex with men face an 18-fold higher risk, and people who inject drugs – a 34-fold higher risk;
• underlying drivers include stigma, discrimination, and legal, social and structural barriers these groups face to access HIV care; and
• globally, an estimated 40.8 million people were living with HIV, and 630 000 people died from HIV-related causes.

While the full scale of the impact of foreign aid cuts is still being assessed, access to PrEP is believed to have declined dramatically. The AIDS Vaccine Advocacy Coalition estimates that, as of October 2025, 2.5 million people who used PrEP in 2024 lost access to their medications in 2025 due solely to donor funding cuts. Such disruptions could have far-reaching consequences for the global HIV response, jeopardizing efforts to end AIDS by 2030.

Momentum for innovation

“We are entering a new era of powerful innovations in HIV prevention and treatment,” said Dr Tereza Kasaeva, Director of WHO’s Department for HIV, TB, Hepatitis and STIs. “By pairing these advances with decisive action, supporting communities, and removing structural barriers, we can ensure that key and vulnerable populations have full access to life-saving services.”

WHO prequalified LEN for HIV prevention on 6 October 2025, followed by national regulatory approvals that will increase access in South Africa (on 27 October), Zimbabwe (27 November) and Zambia (4 November). WHO’s Collaborative Registration Procedure (CRP) supported these approvals. WHO is also working closely with partners such as CIFF, the Gates Foundation, the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria and Unitaid to enable affordable access to LEN in countries. Ensuring that long-acting HIV medicines for prevention and treatment reach priority populations must be a global priority.

Integrating HIV services into primary health care

WHO emphasizes that ending the AIDS epidemic depends on a fully integrated, evidence-based and rights-driven approach under the umbrella of primary health care. WHO will continue working with partners and leaders to put those most affected at the centre of the HIV response. Despite funding setbacks, the resilience and leadership of communities offer a clear path forward. By strengthening health systems, increasing domestic investment, and protecting human rights, countries can safeguard gains and ensure no one is left behind.

 

On 21 November 2025, the MediPIET Alumni Network (MediAN) convened its annual meeting alongside the European Scientific Conference on Applied Infectious Disease Epidemiology (ESCAIDE) 2025 in Warsaw, Poland.

The World Health Organization (WHO) today called on countries to make fertility care safer, fairer and more affordable for all in its first-ever global guideline for the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of infertility.Infertility is estimated to affect 1 in 6 people of reproductive age at some point in their lives.

ECDC has updated its key facts on the value, effectiveness and safety of vaccines, explaining how vaccines used in the EU are evaluated in a transparent way and independently from commercial interests.

World AIDS Day 2025 serves as a vital reminder that while the HIV epidemic in Europe is changing, it remains a public health priority. ECDC has released the latest surveillance data, which reveals a complex landscape.

Europe is failing to test and treat HIV early, with over half (54%) of all diagnoses in 2024 being made too late for optimal treatment.

Global immunization efforts have led to an 88% drop in measles deaths between 2000 and 2024, according to a new report from the World Health Organization (WHO). Nearly 59 million lives have been saved by the measles vaccine since 2000.

This report provides an overview of the total number of cases of mpox (monkeypox) reported to ECDC and the WHO Regional Office for Europe through IHR/EWRS mechanisms .

This autumn has seen an unprecedented surge in detections of highly pathogenic avian influenza A(H5N1) virus in wild birds, accompanied by many recent outbreaks in domestic poultry across affected areas of the EU/EEA.

The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) and WHO Regional Office for Europe (WHO/Europe), concluded the 2025 EOC-NET European Regional Forum Annual Meeting at the WHO Academy in Lyon, France.

The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) presented the achievements of the EU Health Task Force (EUHTF) during a fireside session at this year’s European Scientific Conference on Applied Infectious Disease Epidemiology (ESCAIDE), which is taking place this week in Warsaw, Poland.

Influenza detections are increasing unusually early in European Union/European Economic Area countries (EU/EEA) compared to previous years, with a timing three to four weeks earlier than the two most recent seasons.

Circulating respiratory viruses, including influenza viruses, SARS-CoV-2 and RSV, all contribute to pressure on healthcare systems during winter in the EU/EEA.

On 17–18 November 2025, the EU cross-agency One Health Task Force convened in Warsaw for its annual meeting.

Violence against women remains one of the world’s most persistent and under-addressed human rights crises, with very little progress in two decades, according to a landmark report released today by the World Health Organization (WHO) and UN partners.

Nearly 1 in 3 women – estimated 840 million globally – have experienced partner or sexual violence during their lifetime, a figure that has barely changed since 2000. In the last 12 months alone, 316 million women – 11% of those aged 15 or older – were subjected to physical or sexual violence by an intimate partner. Progress on reducing intimate partner violence has been painfully slow with only 0.2% annual decline over the past two decades.

For the first time, the report includes national and regional estimates of sexual violence by someone other than a partner. It finds 263 million women have experienced non-partner sexual violence since age 15, a figure experts caution is significantly under-reported due to stigma and fear.

"Violence against women is one of humanity’s oldest and most pervasive injustices, yet still one of the least acted upon," said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General. "No society can call itself fair, safe or healthy while half its population lives in fear. Ending this violence is not only a matter of policy; it is a matter of dignity, equality and human rights. Behind every statistic is a woman or girl whose life has been forever altered.  Empowering women and girls is not optional, it's a prerequisite for peace, development and health. A safer world for women is a better world for everyone."

Efforts face funding cuts amidst mounting needs

The new report, released ahead of the International day for the elimination of violence against women and girls observed on 25 November, represents the most comprehensive study on the prevalence of these two forms of violence against women. It updates 2018 estimates released in 2021. It analyses data between 2000 and 2023 from 168 countries, revealing a stark picture of a deeply neglected crisis and critically underfunded response.

Despite mounting evidence on effective strategies to prevent violence against women, the report warns that funding for such initiatives is collapsing – just as when humanitarian emergencies, technological shifts, and rising socio-economic inequality are further increasing risks for millions of women and girls. For instance, in 2022, only 0.2% of the global development aid was allocated to programmes focused on prevention of violence against women, and funding has further fallen in 2025.

Widespread and lifelong risks

Women subjected to violence face unintended pregnancies, a higher risk of acquiring sexually transmitted infections and experiencing depression. Sexual and reproductive health services are an important entry point for survivors to receive the high-quality care they need.

The report underscores the reality that violence against women begins early and risks persist throughout life. For example, in the past 12 months alone, 12.5 million adolescent girls 15-19 years of age or 16% have experienced physical and/or sexual violence from an intimate partner.

While violence occurs in every country, women in least-developed, conflict-affected, and climate-vulnerable settings are disproportionately affected. For example, Oceania (excluding Australia and New Zealand) reports 38% prevalence of intimate partner violence in the past year – more than 3 times the global average of 11%.

A call for action – and accountability

More countries than ever are now collecting data to inform policies, yet significant gaps remain – particularly on non-partner sexual violence, marginalized groups such as indigenous women, migrants, and women with disabilities, as well as data from fragile and humanitarian settings. 

Progress has been achieved in countries where there is political commitment to do so. For example, Cambodia is implementing a national project that will update legislation on domestic violence, improve service delivery, quality and access, refurbish shelters and leverage digital solutions in schools and communities to promote prevention especially with adolescents.

Ecuador, Liberia, Trinidad and Tobago and Uganda have developed costed national action plans. Legislative and advocacy actions in these countries have contributed to some domestic financing for this issue, signalling increased political commitment at a time of decreasing aid budgets. 

To accelerate global progress and deliver meaningful change for the lives of affected women and girls, the report calls for decisive government action and funding to:

• scale up evidence-based prevention programmes
• strengthen survivor-centred health, legal and social services
• invest in data systems to track progress and reach the most at-risk groups
• enforce laws and policies empowering women and girls.

The report is accompanied by the launch of the second edition of the RESPECT Women: preventing violence against women framework, offering updated guidance for violence prevention, including for humanitarian contexts.

There can be no more silence or inaction. We need leaders to commit and act towards ending violence against women and girls now.

Quotes from partners

"Ending violence against women and girls requires courage, commitment, and collective action. Advancing gender equality is how we build a more equal, safer world for everyone, where every woman and every girl can live a life free from violence.” Dr Sima Bahous, Executive Director, UN Women

"Violence against women inflicts deep and lasting harm that affects their lives, health and dignity. For many, violence is compounded by discrimination based on poverty, disability and other factors, exposing them to even higher risk. The devastating cycle of abuse often ripples through families and communities and across generations. The data paint a grim picture of the toll of inaction. This must change now. We must act urgently together to end this violence and ensure that every woman and girl, in all her diversity, can exercise her rights, realize her potential and contribute fully to more just, equal and prosperous societies.” Diene Keita, Executive Director, UNFPA

“The data shows that many women first experience violence from a partner when they are adolescents. And many children grow up watching their mothers being pushed, hit or humiliated, with violence a part of daily life. The key is to break this pattern of violence against women and girls.” UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell

 

Notes to the editors

About the report

The report, Global, regional and national prevalence estimates for intimate partner violence against women and non-partner sexual violence against women, 2023 was developed by WHO and the UNDP-UNFPA-UNICEF-WHO-World Bank Special Programme of Research, Development and Research Training in Human Reproduction (HRP) on behalf of, and with the United Nations Inter-Agency Working Group on Violence Against Women Estimation and Data. The Working Group includes representatives from WHO, UN Women, UNICEF, UNFPA, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the United Nations Statistics Division (UNSD).

Modelling is used to enhance comparability of estimates across countries and regions to the extent allowed by existing data. All surveys likely underestimate the actual prevalence of violence against women as there will always be women who do not disclose these experiences, especially where this violence is highly stigmatized. Sexual violence is particularly underreported in many settings. Poorly designed or implemented surveys in some places further exacerbate this underestimation.

About regional and country estimates

The report and database present regional data in the following categories: Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) regions, WHO regions, Global Burden of Disease (GBD) regions, UNFPA regions and UNICEF regions. Data is also presented for 168 countries and areas for women aged 15-49 years old. The report presents data on both lifetime and past 12 months prevalence estimates.

The rates of the Past 12 months prevalence of intimate partner violence among ever-married/-partnered women 15 years and older among the United Nations SDG regional and subregion classifications are ranked below from highest to lowest prevalence:

• Oceania (excluding Australia and New Zealand): 38%
• Central and Southern Asia: 18%
  • Southern Asia – 19%
• Least Developed Countries – 18%
• Sub-Saharan Africa – 17%
• Small Island Developing States – 17%
• Northern Africa and Western Asia – 14%
  • Northern Africa – 16%
• Oceania (including Australia and New Zealand) – 13%
• Eastern and South-Eastern Asia – 8%
• Latin American and the Caribbean – 7%
• Europe and Northern America – 5%

About RESPECT

RESPECT stands for:  Relationship skills strengthening, Empowerment of women and girls, Services ensured, Poverty reduced, Enabling environments (i.e. schools, workplaces, public places), Child and adolescent abuse prevented, and Transformed gender attitudes, beliefs and norms. RESPECT women is endorsed by 13 agencies and is aimed at policy makers.

The World Health Organization (WHO) warns that gonorrhoea, a sexually transmitted infection, is becoming increasingly resistant to antibiotics, according to new data from its Enhanced Gonococcal Antimicrobial Surveillance Programme (EGASP), which monitors the spread of drug-resistant gonorrhoea. 

The report highlights the need to strengthen surveillance, improve diagnostic capacity and ensure equitable access to new treatments for sexually transmitted infections (STIs). The release of the new data coincides with World Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) Awareness Week, reinforcing the importance of global action against drug-resistant infections. EGASP, launched by WHO in 2015, collects laboratory and clinical data from sentinel sites around the world to track AMR and inform treatment guidelines.

“This global effort is essential to tracking, preventing, and responding to drug-resistant gonorrhoea and to protecting public health worldwide,” said Dr Tereza Kasaeva, Director of the WHO Department for HIV, TB, Hepatitis & STIs. “WHO calls on all countries to address the rising levels of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and integrate gonorrhoea surveillance into national STI programmes.” 

Between 2022 and 2024, resistance to ceftriaxone and cefixime, the primary antibiotics used to treat gonorrhoea, rose sharply from 0.8% to 5% and from 1.7% to 11% respectively, with resistant strains detected in more countries. Resistance to azithromycin remained stable at 4%, while resistance to ciprofloxacin reached 95%. Cambodia and Viet Nam reported the highest resistance rates.

In 2024, 12 EGASP countries in five WHO regions provided data, an increase from just four countries in 2022. This is a positive development reflecting growing commitment to track and contain drug-resistant infections in countries and regions. The countries- Brazil, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Malawi, the Philippines, Qatar, South Africa, Sweden, Thailand, Uganda and Viet Nam reported 3615 cases of gonorrhoea.

Over half of all cases of symptomatic gonorrhoea in men (52%) were reported from countries in the WHO Western Pacific Region, including the Philippines (28%), Viet Nam (12%), Cambodia (9%) and Indonesia (3%). Countries of the WHO African Region accounted for 28% of cases, followed by countries in the South-East Asia Region (13%, Thailand), the Eastern Mediterranean Region (4%, Qatar) and the Region of the Americas (2%, Brazil).

The median patient age was 27 years (range: 12–94). Among cases, 20% were men who have sex with men, and 42% reported multiple sexual partners within the past 30 days. Eight percent reported recent antibiotic use, and 19% had travelled recently. 

Strengthening and expanding global surveillance

In 2024, WHO advanced genomic surveillance, with nearly 3000 samples sequenced from eight countries. Landmark studies on new treatments such as zoliflodacin and gepotidacin, as well as studies on tetracycline resistance, were conducted by WHO’s Collaborating Centre on AMR in STI in Sweden, in coordination with WHO. These are helping guide future gonorrhoea control and doxycycline-based prevention (DoxyPEP) strategies. 

EGASP continued to expand its reach in 2024, with Brazil, Côte d’Ivoire and Qatar joining the programme, and India beginning implementation and data reporting starting in 2025 under its National AIDS and Sexually Transmitted Diseases Control Programme.

Despite notable progress, EGASP faces challenges, including limited funding, incomplete reporting, and gaps in data from women and extragenital sites. WHO calls for urgent investment, particularly in national surveillance systems, to sustain and expand global gonococcal AMR surveillance.

 

On 11 and 12 November 2025, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) concluded ‘Operation Vector’, a two-day multi-country simulation exercise organised in collaboration with Europol and hosted at Statens Serum Institut in Copenhagen, Denmark.