December 1 marks World AIDS Day, a date set aside – for many years – to raise awareness to improve access to treatment and prevention. However, it seems that it is not doing its job, at least if you look at what will happen with this public health issue in Argentina, if what the draft national budget for 2026 allocates to this segment is taken into account.
According to an analysis conducted by the team of the Huispid Foundation, a leading NGO helping to combat HIV/AIDS in our country, the outlook for 2026 is poor.
According to a publication from the foundation, “The 2026 draft budget represents an alarming shift in the HIV response. It moves from a comprehensive strategy for prevention, diagnosis and treatment for the issues of HIV, viral hepatitis, sexually transmitted diseases and tuberculosis, towards a focus almost exclusively on the continuation of existing treatments. But leaving prevention and early detection aside. This is expressed through cuts or omissions in key prevention tools such as pre-exposure prophylaxis and post-exposure prophylaxis, condom delivery, rapid testing and Identification of viral load vectors in persons.
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What do these decisions taken by health authorities mean in the medium term? More infections, delayed diagnosis (which today already affects 45% of new HIV diagnoses in the country), increased health disparities, and higher treatment costs in the future.
protection. A critical aspect of the proposed budget is that it does not mention PrEP and PEP. These are two recognized and very useful tools for infection prevention.
In 2023 – the last budget draft in which pre-exposure prophylaxis and post-exposure prophylaxis were mentioned as specific items – 8,744 people were helped with pre-exposure prophylaxis and 4,867 with post-exposure prophylaxis, while in 2025 and 2026 both items completely disappeared from the budget targets.
Although this provision may continue, as it could be included among people receiving regular pharmaceutical assistance, the fact that they are not mentioned in the budget reduces their importance and weakens the guarantee of access.
This not only undermines planning, but also erases from public debate essential tools to prevent new infections. The world talks about combined prevention precisely because one tool is not enough for all people at all times of their lives.
Treatments. According to the 2026 budget figures, the number of people who will receive antiretroviral drugs will increase slightly in 2026: from 66,893 treatments in 2023 to 71,500 in 2026. However, the implementation of the budget as of the third quarter of 2025, according to official data, shows 71,564 people under the program. On December 1 we will know the latest data published by the Ministry of Health, but in the last reported year 6,400 cases were diagnosed. Globally, 70% of people living with HIV in the country have exclusive public coverage, so it is safe to assume that approximately 5,000 new people will need antiretroviral therapy.
Regarding condoms, no purchases were recorded during 2025. The current project expects a sudden recovery in 2026, but without guaranteeing continuity or real implementation, and with numbers that are still lower than stipulated in the 2023 budget. For 2026, the allocation is expected to rise to 15.5 million or 18 million. The expected recovery is not enough to compensate for last year without purchases or ensuring continuity, and will be reduced to less than half of what was scheduled in 2023.
Finally, in terms of educational materials: of the 275,565 brochures distributed in 2023, there were none in 2025. That is, without prevention campaigns. There are also discounts in other areas. For example, in the field of rapid HIV tests, in 2023 1,120,380 tests were distributed, while 58,000 are expected to be distributed in 2026. This means a decrease of 49.3% compared to 2023.
Finally, Huespid noted, “Less investment means more health complications, increased transmission, and worse clinical outcomes. Investing in prevention, diagnosis, and care is an effective health strategy and a state obligation to protect the health of the population.”
Extensive preventive campaign
On the day that commemorates the fight against HIV, the Alfonso Farias Civic Association, National Artists, Buenos Aires Subway and UBA join together in a wide-ranging prevention campaign.
This is RockVagón, a unique mobile concert that transforms a massive transport vehicle into an unprecedented stage to raise awareness.
The proposal is scheduled to start at 11:30 tomorrow at the Hospitales station on Line H of the Buenos Aires subway service. It is expected to last 40 minutes, and among them will be the teams of Andando Descalzo, Los Perez García and April Visconti. At the end of the tour, DJ Alejandro Pont Lezica will perform at the Law School stop. As explained by the Alfonso Farias Association, RockVagón proposes an innovative electro-acoustic display to dramatically emphasize the importance of using condoms as an essential preventive tool.
Within the framework of a solidarity agreement, and in conjunction with the musical show, specialists from the University of Buenos Aires (UBA) will conduct rapid sublingual HIV tests on passengers and users, promoting early diagnosis.
The Alfonso Farias Civic Association, supported by the mobilization of more than two million people in its previous campaigns, begins a new phase by bringing prevention to the city’s basements.
statistics
◆ More than 95% of cases of HIV/AIDS and sexually transmitted infections (such as syphilis, gonorrhea, and HPV) in large urban centers are the result of non-use of condoms.
◆ Correct and consistent use of condoms is the most effective way to prevent the transmission of HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases.
◆ The number of syphilis cases has increased in recent years. Infections rose from 12,131 in 2021 to 32,293 in 2023.