A slowdown in the fight once morest AIDS.
In 2021 there was indeed a decrease in new infections but this is the smallest reduction since 2016.
UNAIDS report.
“Over the past two years, multiple and simultaneous crises that have shaken the world have had a devastating impact on people infected with HIV. They set back the world’s response to the AIDS pandemic“, warns the report.
Have : The coronavirus to the detriment of the fight once morest AIDS?
Covid-19 is disrupting access to treatment and prevention services. At the same time, the war in Ukraine, and the resulting economic crisis, is responsible for the drying up or redirection of funds.
In 2021 there was indeed a decrease in new infections (by 3.6% compared to 2020) but this is the smallest reduction since 2016.
The number of HIV-positive people with access to care will increase in 2021, but less than in 2020. 1.47 million additional HIV-positive people will have access to care in 2021 compared to 2 million in previous years, according to the report.
Inequality in terms of risks and treatments.
A woman or adolescent girl is newly infected every two minutes.
UNAIDS report.
The most fragile populations are the most affected, underlines the report.
“In some countries, it is the poor who lack access. In others, it is ethnic minorities. In Britain, the reduction in new diagnoses is greater for white people than black people“, declared Winnie Byanyima the executive director of UNAIDS, during a press conference.
In addition, young women and adolescent girls are particularly affected. One of them is newly infected every two minutes according to the report.
The report also highlights the gap in access to treatment between children and adults. This gap is widening instead of closing. In 2021, 70% of adults living with HIV receive antiretroviral treatment compared to only 41% of children. During this year, 800,000 HIV-positive children receive no treatment. These children represent 4% of the population living with HIV in 2021 but 15% of virus-related deaths.
Have : How to prevent HIV transmission between mother and child?
People who inject drugs, sex workers and men who have sex with men remain the populations most at risk.
Objective, to eradicate AIDS by 2030?
I think our challenge is to fight twice as hard to get HIV back on the radar screens.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the US National Institute of Infectious Diseases.
In 2021, the international resources available to fight HIV are 6% less generous than those available in 2010, according to AFP.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the American National Institute of Infectious Diseases, fears that fatigue in the face of the AIDS epidemic will cause a hole in dedicated resources.
To read : AIDS: 36.3 million victims in 40 years, still no vaccine
“With a disease we’ve fought together for over 40 years now, it makes it hard to keep up the motivation“, he declares.
Faced with the consequences of Covid-19, and now monkeypox, “people find themselves exhausted in the face of epidemics and pandemics“, says Dr. A. Fauci.”I think our challenge is to fight twice as hard to get HIV back on the radar screens“, he adds.
UNAIDS is advocating for additional funding today with the goal of ending the AIDS epidemic by 2030.
“Leaders shouldn’t mistake this massive red flag for a stop sign“, écrit Winnie Byanyima.”This report is not an admission of failure. It’s a call to action.”
