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fight with HIV as a threat to global public health could disappear within this decade, but it requires strong political leadership and large financial investments, warns a new
fight with HIV as a threat to global public health could disappear within this decade, but it requires strong political leadership and large financial investments, warns a new Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) report on the evolution of the disease.
“The path to the end of AIDS is not a mystery, but political and financial choice”said Winnie Byanyima, UNAIDS Executive Director from Uganda, when she presented the report.
Byanyima assured that this is “the very path that will help societies prepare for future pandemics and help countries achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.”
Some countries, such as Botswana, Eswatini, Rwanda, the United Republic of Tanzania and Zimbabwe, have already met the UN agency’s 95-95-95 targets, which means that 95% of people with AIDS in these countries are aware of their status, 95% of those those who know are on antiretroviral treatment, and 95% of those on treatment achieve viral suppression.
“This shows that we can end AIDS if world leaders show courage, if they follow the signs, fight stigma and discrimination, educate and work with communities and invest the necessary funds,” said Botswana’s former health minister and co-chair of the Global Coalition on HIV Prevention, Sheila Tlow.
The report’s findings show that domestic and international funding in low- and middle-income countries totaled $20.8 billion in 2022, compared to $29.3 billion needed by 2025.
Photo: Photolaboratory
In this sense, the UNAIDS Director explained that discrimination and lack of investment mainly affects the so-called “vulnerable groups”, which include gay men or men who have sex with other men, sex workers, transgender women, drug addicts and prisoners.
However, the report found that this eradication will not be immediate, as in 2022 630,000 people died from AIDS-related illnesses around the world, thus claiming one life every minute, which the director of UNAIDS called “a collective disgrace”.
The report shows particularly alarming figures for HIV/AIDS among women and girls in Africa countries in sub-Saharan Africa, which accounted for 63% of all new HIV infections in 2022.
Asia and the Pacific was another major hotspot, with almost a quarter (23%) of new HIV infections.
“About 9.2 million people remain without access to treatment, including 660,000 children living with HIV,” said Harry Prabowo, coordinator of the Asia-Pacific Network of People Living with HIV/AIDS.
“Countries that are on this path are already doing this, so we know there is a chance this will end,” said UNAIDS Director of Communications Ben Philips.
(EFE)
Source: Aristegui Noticias
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