It's not over yet, says UNAIDS

While the number of people who receive HIV treatment are on the rise, it is still outstripped by the number of new infections, according to the latest UNAIDS report. Many countries fail to take proactive steps to reverse the crisis.

The UNAIDS 2008 Report on the global AIDS epidemic was launched on 29 July 2008 ahead of the XVII International AIDS Conference in Mexico.

The report documents considerable progress in many countries in addressing their national epidemics. However, UNAIDS reports that the progress remains uneven. The epidemic's future is still uncertain underscoring the need for intensified action to move towards universal access to HIV prevention, treatment, care and support.

The global epidemic is stabilizing but at an unacceptably high level

The global epidemic has levelled off in terms of the percentage of people infected, while the total number of people living with HIV has increased to 33 million people globally. From 2001 to 2007 new HIV infections declined from 3 million to 2.7 million per year. 7,500 people get infected every day. That is more than 5 people every minute.

Significant gains in preventing new HIV infections

There have been significant gains in preventing new HIV infections in a number of countries. From 2005 to 2007 the percentage of HIV positive pregnant women receiving antiretroviral drugs to prevent mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) increased globally from 14 percent to 33 percent. In this same period the number of new infections among children fell from 410,000 to 370,000.

Condom use is increasing among young people with multiple partners and the percentage of young people having sex before age 15 is on the decline in all regions. However, the latest data collected from 64 countries indicate that fewer than 40 percent of young people have the necessary information about HIV. This tells us that more work needs to be done with youth to provide them with good knowledge about sexuality and comprehensive HIV prevention.

The number of new HIV infections continues to outstrip the advances made in treatment numbers

By the end of 2007, nearly 3 million people were receiving antiretroviral treatment in low- and middle-income countries. This represents 31 percent of estimated global need and almost a doubling over 2006. Even if this is great progress, the number of new HIV infections is still outnumbering people put on antiretroviral drugs. For every 2 new persons who start on treatment, 5 new get infected.

AIDS continues to be the leading cause of death in Africa which is home to two-thirds of all people living with HIV. In Africa, 60 percent of people living with HIV in the region are women and three out of four young people living with HIV are female.

Knowing your epidemic

In virtually all regions outside of sub-Saharan Africa, HIV infections have disproportionately affected injecting drug users, men who have sex with men (MSM) and sex workers. However, in spite of evidence that the HIV epidemic continues to grow among these populations, many countries are still not taking proactive steps to reverse the crisis. Amfar, the Foundation for AIDS Research, reports that only one percent of the total HIV spending in Latin America is spent on MSM, despite the reality that more than a quarter of people being infected are MSM.

‘Knowing your local epidemic' and acting on it remains critical to effective prevention efforts.

Scaling up the AIDS response

There is not enough funding for AIDS. The HIV response requires long-term sustained financing and to be grounded in evidence and human rights. It requires strong leadership that can sustain commitments over time. If we maintain the current pace of universal access scale-up, funding levels must increase by over 50 percent by 2010.

"The scaling up of the AIDS response towards universal access must be based on four key values-a rights-based approach, multisectoralism, results for people, and community engagement. These are not negotiable," says Dr. Peter Piot.