Dec 13, 2025
3 min read
The HIV epidemic in Papua New Guinea is spreading rapidly across the Asia-Pacific region, with many people unaware they are infected with the virus.
After fighting the disease for years, Nancy Karipa was tested positive for HIV in 1999.She had just given birth to her first child."It was a high point for me, with the fear of rejection, but I chose action," said Karipa, now 50 years old in Papua New Guinea Port Moresby in December.She and the child were treated and her child remains healthy.
The relative is unusual in telling a northern story in PNG from the eastern Sepik.The stigma of the disease is high in the Pacific nation, but it is never important to speak up.This year, PNG declared AIDS a "national crisis".
UNAIDS, the United Nations agency fighting HIV/AIDS around the world, said PNG's epidemic is the fastest growing in the Asia Pacific region, along with Fiji and the Philippines.
The number of new infections has doubled since 2010, and it is estimated that only 59% of people with the virus know they are HIV positive.The increase in infections among women and children is particularly worrying, according to UNAids.
"Mother-to-child transmission of the virus is very high in Papua New Guinea, one of the highest in Guinea," says PNG country director Manoela Manova.
Changes in funding for HIV support and prevention have hit PNG hard.The suspension of US foreign aid by the Trump administration this year has affected hundreds of clinics.A sharp global drop in funding for UNAids also worries health workers, and there are growing calls for the PNG government to do more.
Manova says HIV awareness has decreased over time and now "it's like there's no epidemic."
"That is the perception of the public and the political class.
A combination of factors, including inadequate testing and lack of awareness, is exacerbating the crisis in the country of about 10 million people.UNAIDS says Papua New Guinea will record 11,000 new cases in 2024, with nearly half of new infections among children and those under 25.
An estimated 2,700 infants were infected with HIV in PNG in 2024. In most cases, mothers did not know their HIV status and did not receive the necessary anti-retroviral therapy (ART) that could have prevented transmission to their child.
"Many people do not know their condition and this is the first step to address the epidemic and receive treatment," says Manova.
Clinics affected by US aid freeze
The government declared HIV a global crisis and established an emergency response system that included more testing, treatment and support.
Ministry of Health Deputy Secretary Ken Wai said that while the government was responsible for the supply of medicines, other community support and support services were highly dependent on our support.In January, the Trump administration cut foreign aid distributed by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), although it said funding for certain programs had been restored.
"USAID funds an organization called FHI360; they help us capture data, and a laboratory coordinator at the central public health laboratory helps us," says Way.
The president of the national AIDS council, Wep Kanawi, says the government must do more to tackle the crisis.The council works to prevent the transmission of HIV and provide treatment across the country.Kanawi says the government does not receive direct funding from USAID for HIV drugs, but PNG seeks funding from global non-profit organizations that receive contributions from USAID.This supports several HIV programs in Papua New Guinea, including paying staff salaries, he says.
More than 200 public clinics or churches in Kanawi, Uzbekistan, which provide HIV services, lost funding after foreign aid was suspended earlier this year, without sacrificing clinical services.Kanawi wants the government to do more, talking about K45-K50M (US$10 million) annually to tackle the epidemic.
Kanawi said: "Many of those behind us are behind us."
The Kaugere Clinic in Port Moresby, which provides HIV and other healthcare services, is one of the centers affected by the funding freeze.Rose Marai, a social worker at the clinic, says that when aid was suspended by the Trump administration, salaries at the clinic were kept because there was no funding.
"We have not been given any second plan and we have been told to close the clinic, which has affected the community," said Marai.
"I started doing voluntary counseling with referral patients who were positive and transsexual and transsexual and gender-based.
The US Embassy in PNG did not respond to questions about USAID or US funding.In a statement, it said the US was "committed to working with Papua New Guinea".
"US foreign assistance to PNG, administered through the State Department and other US agencies, includes robust programs in security cooperation, disaster preparedness and health."
At the same time, those who do not have UNAIDS have experienced what has been described as a "historical crisis" this year as a result of cuts in the Aid budget and cuts from other donor countries.The Disdaids report called for a sudden decision and continued health and permanent permits, although it said funding had been restored to some HIV programs.
The country in UNAIDS PNG has been protected so far, with Australia stepping in with additional funding.In October, the Australian government announced it would "increase annual funding for HIV development to approximately 10 million this financial year."
Manoa said the additional funding from Australia would help sustain the UNAIDS office in PNG "for another two years".
However, there are growing concerns in PNG that the outbreak shows a weak health sector and an over-reliance on foreign aid, the seat of the disease.
Foreign Minister Justin Tkachenko says the country needs a "drop position".
"The long-term strategy is to do it ourselves. We cannot rely on other donor partners to help us," he says.
Rebecca Bush contributed to this report
