Nearly 40 Million Living with HIV, Lack of Treatment Causes Deaths Every Minute: UN Report

Last year, nearly 40 million people were living with HIV.

The virus that causes AIDS, according to a new report by the United Nations (UN). Shockingly, over 9 million of these individuals were not receiving any treatment. As a result, every minute, someone died from AIDS-related causes.

While there have been advances in combating the global AIDS pandemic, the report highlights that progress is slowing down. Funding is decreasing, and new infections are rising in three specific regions.

The Middle East and North Africa, Eastern Europe and Central Asia, and Latin America.

In 2023, around 630,000 people died from illnesses related to AIDS. Although this is a significant decline from the 2.1 million deaths in 2004.

It is still more than double the target of fewer than 250,000 deaths by 2025. This goal was set by UNAIDS, the UN agency leading the global effort to end the AIDS pandemic.

Gender inequality is making the situation worse for girls and women, especially in parts of Africa. The report points out that adolescent girls and young women in these regions have a particularly high incidence of HIV. Furthermore, marginalized communities facing stigma and discrimination.

Such as sex workers, men who have sex with men, and people who inject drugs—are seeing an increase in new infections. In 2023, these groups accounted for 55% of new infections, up from 45% in 2010.

Winnie Byanyima, the Executive Director of UNAIDS, emphasized the need for world leaders to keep their promise of ending the AIDS pandemic by 2030. She stated that achieving this goal requires ensuring adequate resources for the HIV response and protecting the human rights of everyone affected by the virus.

As part of their pledge, world leaders promised to reduce annual new HIV infections to below 370,000 by 2025. However, the report reveals that in 2023, new infections were more than three times higher, with 1.3 million people newly infected.

Last year, out of the 39.9 million people living with HIV globally, 86% knew they were infected.

77% were accessing treatment, and 72% had their virus suppressed.

This means their viral load was low enough that they were unlikely to transmit the virus to others.

César Nºñez, director of the UNAIDS New York office, shared some positive developments in HIV treatments. There are now injections available that can stay in the body for six months. However, these treatments cost $40,000 per year, making them accessible only to the wealthiest individuals with the virus.

UNAIDS is advocating for the manufacturer to make these injections available at lower costs to low and middle-income countries.

Read Also – UN Says 40 Million People Affected By Global HIV Crisis In 2023 Due To Lack Of Access To Treatment Fueling Global HIV Epidemic

Nºñez also mention seven cases where individuals with HIV, who treats for leukemia.

Seems no sign of the HIV virus in their system afterward. These cases and the injectable treatments are topics of discussion at the 25th International AIDS Conference, which began Monday in Munich.