New HIV Infections Cut by 17% Since 2001

HIV/AIDS Prevention and Treatment Programs Save Millions of Lives

AIDS Orphans in Lilongwe, Malawi - KHym54

According to the AIDS Epidemic Update report, efforts toward universal access to HIV prevention and treatment are starting to pay off. The report - published by the World Health Organization (WHO) and Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) - confirms a drop in the number of new infections in regions hit hardest by the AIDS epidemic:

• New infections in sub-Saharan Africa have dropped by about 15% since 2001.
• Infection rates in East Asia have declined by about 25%.
• South and Southeast Asia have seen a 10% drop in HIV infection rates.

As such data indicate, HIV prevention and treatment programs are having an impact. In fact, the WHO and UNAIDS estimate that 2.9 million lives have been saved since 1996 because of the availability of effective treatment. But the report shows something else - in many cases, the programs are not nearly as effective as they could be.

More People Living with HIV

HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) attacks the cells of the immune system and subsequently impairs or destroys the cells' function. As a result, the immune system progressively deteriorates, and the body can no longer fight off infections and disease. A person who is in the most advanced stages of HIV infection and has been diagnosed with 20 opportunistic infections or related cancers is considered to have AIDS (acquired immune deficiency syndrome).

By December 2008, an estimated 33.4 million people worldwide were living with HIV, of which over two million are children. That's 20% more people than in 2000 and about three times the number than in 1990. The rise in numbers can be attributed to two factors: the continued high rate of new HIV infections each year and the increased availability of antiretroviral therapy, a drug regimen that contributes to people with HIV living longer, healthier lives. By the end of 2008, about four million people in low-income and medium-income countries received antiretroviral therapy - 10 times the number compared to five years earlier.

However, despite in the increases in the amount of people living with HIV, the number of new infections is decreasing. In 1996, approximately 3.5 million individuals were infected, compared to 2.7 million in 2008. That's a 30% decrease in new HIV infections. In addition, the number of AIDS-related deaths is down from their 2004 peak of 2.2 million to an estimated two million in 2008 - a 10% decrease.

Indeed, the epidemic appears to have stabilized in most regions of the world. Even so, HIV/AIDS remains a global health crisis, and the number of people living with HIV continues to rise, although important progress has been made.

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Current HIV Prevention and Treatment Strategies

The face of the HIV/AIDS epidemic is changing, and prevention and treatment strategies are not keeping up. For example, new HIV infections in Central Asia and Eastern Europe were once characterized by injection drug users, but can now be significantly attributed to sexual transmission. HIV strategies must be able to evolve to meet these changing needs.

The AIDS Epidemic Update report also reveals gaps in other areas of HIV prevention strategies. For instance, the largest number of new infections in many African countries occurs among older heterosexual couples, yet most of the prevention programs focus on young people and fail to address key issues related to HIV transmission.

The report also shows that there is a shortage of programs aimed specifically at people living with HIV and that HIV-positive individuals do not participate in the planning and implementation of HIV campaigns. It should be noted, however, that the improved access to antiretroviral therapy has not only reduced the number of AIDS-related deaths, but has reduced the number of newly infected children who mothers benefit from that therapy.

Clearly, the AIDS Epidemic Update report provides both good news and bad. The number of new infections has decreased, people are living longer, and more of them are receiving antiretroviral therapy. On the other hand, many millions of people continue to live with HIV, with nearly three million new infections in 2008 alone. Indeed, AIDS remains one of the world's leading killers, and is projected to continue to cause premature mortality for decades to come, unless something more can be done to stop the spread of HIV.