“The HIV pandemic can end by 2030,” says UNAIDS.
- The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is the pathogen that causes a chronic infection that progresses to AIDS if left untreated.
- “Although ending AIDS is within reach this decade, humanity is currently lagging behind in this endeavour,” UNAIDS says in a new report.
- “World leaders have committed to ending the AIDS pandemic as a public health threat by 2030. Leaders can deliver on their promise, but only by ensuring that the HIV response has the resources it needs and that the human rights of all are protected,” said UNAIDS Executive Director Winnie Byanyima.
A new report from UNAIDS indicates that the HIV pandemic can end by 2030, but under certain specific conditions.
“The report entitled ” Today’s Emergency – AIDS at the Crossroads » compiles new data and case studies that prove that the decisions and policy choices made by world leaders this year will decide the fate of millions of lives and whether or not the world’s deadliest pandemic ends,” the UN agency specializing in AIDS said in a press release.
“Although the eradication of AIDS is within our reach this decade, humanity is currently lagging behind in this endeavour,” she adds.
One death from AIDS causes every minute
Worldwide, of the 39.9 million people living with HIV, almost a quarter are not receiving life-saving treatment, which translates into one death from AIDS-related causes every minute.
The leaders also pledged to reduce new infections to fewer than 370,000 cases per year by 2025, but they were 1.3 million in 2023, more than three times higher than that target.
Second, although considerable progress has been made in preventing new HIV infections (they have fallen by 39% since 2010 worldwide), the report shows that they are still increasing in several regions: the Middle East, North Africa, Eastern Europe, Central Asia and Latin America.
“Finally, the progress made is now threatened by the scarcity of resources and the increase in attacks on human rights,” says UNAIDS.
AIDS: “Leaders can keep their promise”
“World leaders have committed to ending the AIDS pandemic as a public health threat by 2030. Leaders can deliver on their promise, but only by ensuring that the HIV response has the resources it needs and that the human rights of all are protected.”said UNAIDS Executive Director Winnie Byanyima. “Leaders can save millions of lives, prevent millions of new HIV infections and ensure that all people living with HIV live full and healthy lives,” she added.
If leaders take the necessary steps, the number of people living with HIV and requiring lifelong treatment will rise to about 29 million by 2050. Conversely, if they take the wrong course, the number of people who will need lifelong support will rise to 46 million (up from 39.9 million in 2023).
AIDS: What is HIV?
The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is the pathogen that causes a chronic infection that progresses to AIDS if left untreated.
The treatments currently used attack the virus directly: these are antiretrovirals. “These drugs prevent the virus from multiplying but do not allow it to be dislodged from all the cells of the body or to be destroyed. In fact, HIV persists in the body by being integrated into the DNA of certain cells. The virus remains in a latent form and can then start to proliferate again when treatment is interrupted, for example,” specifies Health Insurance.