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NLHMB » HIV Infections "may have peaked"
The rate at which people are infected with HIV may
have peaked in the late 1990s, according to a UNAids
report.
 It
found the incidence of new HIV infections appears to
have stabilised for the first time in 25 years. UNAids
said improved funding and access to drugs appeared to be
producing results - but said HIV remained "an
exceptional threat". It warned the infection rate was
still rising in some countries, and record numbers now
live with the virus. The agency, which surveyed 126
countries, estimated that 38.6m people are living with
HIV worldwide. It found that approximately 4.1m people
were newly infected with the virus during 2005, and
approximately 2.8m people died of Aids-related illnesses
during the year. The report warns young people and
children are increasingly affected by the epidemic, and
efforts to protect these groups are not keeping pace. It
found some countries were doing well on treating people
with HIV, but poorly on HIV prevention efforts, while in
others the opposite was true. The report said there was
still a need for improved planning, sustained leadership
and reliable long-term funding - with current levels of
spending still below what was required.
The report was released on the eve of a UN General
Assembly meeting on Aids in New York to review progress
in the five years since a major international
declaration setting goals for tackling the virus. Dr
Peter Piot, UNAids executive director said efforts to
combat HIV appeared to be starting to produce results.
He said: "The actions we take from here are particularly
important, as we know with increasing certainty where
and how HIV is moving, as well as how to slow the
epidemic and reduce its impact."
 Africa worst hit
Sub-Saharan Africa remains the epicentre of the Aids
pandemic, with two-thirds of all people living with HIV
coming from the region. Two million people died of Aids
in the region last year and there were 2.7m new
infections. However, the numbers affected in Eastern
Europe and Asia continue to rise.
India, Ukraine and the Russian Federation are
particularly badly affected. India overtook South Africa
as the world's worst-affected country in terms of the
absolute number of people with HIV - although not as a
proportion of the population. The report says the "3x5"
target to get anti-retroviral therapy (ART) to three
million people by 2005 was missed, but access to
treatment has significantly improved. In 2001, just
240,000 people in developing countries had access to
ART. By 2005, that had risen to 1.3m. However, UNAids
said that means only one in five people around the world
who need the drugs gets them. The report calls for the
price of ART drugs to be cut to widen access to
treatment.
 Prevention
The report found HIV prevention programmes are failing
to reach those most at risk. The UN's Declaration of
Commitment on HIV/Aids said 90% of young people should
know about the disease by 2005. But surveys suggest
fewer than 50% have comprehensive knowledge. Just 9% of
men who have sex with men received any type of HIV
prevention advice, and only 20% of intravenous drug
users. However, there has been some success. Six out of
11 African countries reported declines of at least 25%
in HIV prevalence among 15-24-year-olds in capital
cities.
Rates of sex among young people declined in nine of 14
sub-Saharan countries. And condom use with a non-regular
partner increased in eight of 11 countries in the same
region.
The report also called for a significant increase in
funding. It said $8.3bn was made available in 2005, more
than five times the funding available in 2001.
However, it warns that over $20bn will be needed
annually from 2008. UNaids also called for world leaders
to fulfil their commitment made at the 2005 G8 Summit to
achieve universal access to HIV treatment by 2010.
Deborah Jack, of the UK's National Aids Trust, said:
"Behind the shocking statistics there has been progress
in improving access to drugs and in rolling out
prevention programmes in developing countries. "This
shows that interventions can and do work. But such
efforts must be accompanied by the promotion of human
rights."
Nick Partridge, of the Terrence Higgins Trust, said:
"Governments and businesses across the world must
continue to do more to increase access to
anti-retroviral treatments, good sex education and
condoms, which we know are vital in reducing the spread
of HIV."
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