Political decisions taken this year will determine whether a target to end AIDS as a public health threat by 2030 can be reached, the United Nations said Monday. Figures from 2023 show a drop in new infections and fatalities and improvement in access to treatment for HIV-positive patient. But while those figures look positive, the UNAIDS agency warned that the progress remained fragile.
“Decisions leaders make this year will determine whether (or not) countries can achieve the 2030 target of ending AIDS as a public health threat and ensure progress beyond 2030,” the report said. In the over four decades since the AIDS epidemic burst onto the global scene, it has killed more than 42 million people. While AIDS-related deaths have been steadily declining, falling from 670,000 in 2022 to 630,000 last year, the number still remains dizzyingly high.
ALSO READ: 230 babies born with HIV in Gauteng in six months “A person dies from AIDS-related causes every minute,” UNAIDS chief Winnie Byanyima pointed out in the report, warning the world remains off track to reach ambitious 2030 objectives. “The inequalities that drive the HIV pandemic are not being addressed sufficiently.” Nearly 40 million people live with HIV, the virus that can cause AIDS, the report said.
Around 1.3 million new infections were recorded last year, a decline of 100,000 compared to 2022 and a dramatic 60-percent fall since a peak of 3.3 million in 1995.
But the long-term trend is still way off track to .