UN Report Reveals Sharp Decline In HIV Infections and AIDS-Related Death Cases
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According to a United Nations report, the amount of both HIV infections and AIDS-related death has significantly dropped.
At its peak in 2005, there were 2.3 million deaths related to the virus. Last year, there were only 1.6 million deaths, meaning a drop of one-third.
The drop among children was even greater. In 2001, over half of the new infections involved children. In 2012, the figure was cut in half to just a quarter of a million new infections.
According to the report, the children’s infection and death rates were due to an increase in access to the antiretroviral drugs that can suppress the virus.
With no treatment, HIV people can develops AIDS, making simple everyday infections deadly.
At the end of 2012, nearly 10 million people in middle and low income countries – India, South Africa and Uganda – were able to access the antiretroviral therapy. This increase in access is due to three things:
– Affordability
– Community availability
– People coming forth for help
UNAIDS said the world is on its way of meeting its Millennium Development Goals to stop the spread and reverse the AIDS epidemic by the year 2015. It also said the world can extend its target of getting 15 million people on some type of treatment by 2015. A revision of the World Health Organization guidelines has made more people qualified to get HIV treatment.
Doctors without Borders Health Policy Advisor Bev Collins said there have been significant leaps forward in ensuring that millions of people all around the world can get HIV treatment for a reasonable price.
She said there isn’t a time for complacency but to continue offering people access to improved treatment strategies, offer cost-effective testing and more.
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