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WHO Framework Aids Drug Resistance Fight in HIV and STIs

WHO Introduces Framework to Address Drug Resistance in HIV, Hepatitis B and C, and STIs

A smiling Black woman in a white collared shirt with blue collar trim and black bead necklace, her hair in a black bun, stands in the foreground at an outdoor clinic covered by a porch with green vegetation in the background; several people of various ages sit on benches behind her, waiting in a tropical setting.
A healthcare worker smiles at a clinic in a tropical region as patients wait for services, highlighting community health efforts amid global disease prevention initiatives.

The World Health Organization has unveiled the Integrated drug resistance action framework for HIV, hepatitis B and C and sexually transmitted infections, 2026–2030. The document sets out a structured plan to confront rising drug resistance and protect progress toward ending AIDS and the epidemics of hepatitis B, hepatitis C and sexually transmitted infections as public health challenges.

Drug resistance remains a significant concern for prevention and treatment measures. Without prompt and coordinated interventions, it may result in higher numbers of new infections, treatment failures and increased preventable illness and death, ultimately affecting global elimination targets. The framework puts forward a unified approach aimed at limiting the development and spread of resistance and reducing its effects through integrated, people-centred actions.

The framework identifies five main strategic areas that include prevention and response, monitoring and surveillance, research and innovation, laboratory capacity and governance and enabling mechanisms. It highlights the need for antimicrobial stewardship, enhanced surveillance systems and fair access to quality prevention, testing and treatment services for HIV, hepatitis B and C and sexually transmitted infections.

Dr Tereza Kasaeva, Director of WHO’s Department for HIV, Tuberculosis, Hepatitis and Sexually Transmitted Infections, noted that drug resistance poses a threat to long-standing efforts in the control of HIV, hepatitis and sexually transmitted infections. She stated that the framework encourages countries, communities and partners to join in a common agenda to maintain the effectiveness of antimicrobial drugs and support progress toward ending these epidemics.

The framework builds on WHO’s Global health sector strategies and aligns with the Sustainable Development Goals and the Global Action Plan on Antimicrobial Resistance. It also reflects renewed political momentum following the 2024 UN High-level Meeting on Antimicrobial Resistance and serves as a multisectoral guide for implementation.

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