Several countries have shown great progress in reducing HIV infections and AIDS related deaths in contrast to several others where the prevalence is on an increase with the world infectious rates to jump to millions in the coming years.
The UNAIDS in its latest report released on World AIDS day said that the response to the deadly disease is moving backwards rather than forward. The “Prevailing against the Pandemics by Putting People at the Centre” said that there was a 72 per cent increase of new infections from 2010 to 2019 in eastern Europe and central Asia, 22 per cent increase in the Middle East and North Africa and 21 per cent of increase in infections in Latin America.
Noting that the vision of Fast Track (a world on a clear path by 2020 towards ending AIDS as a public health threat) was not realized, the UNAIDS said that none of the ten commitments have been met.
Zero AIDS-related deaths
The report notes that the global number of AIDS related deaths declined by 39 per cent from 2010 to 2019. However, it notes that the 2019 deaths (6,90,000) still far exceeds the 2020 target of reducing mortality.
TEN COMMITMENTS
- Ensure 30 million people living with HIV have access to treatment through meeting the 90–90–90 targets by 2020
- Eliminate new HIV infections among children by 2020. Ensure 1.4 million children have access to HIV treatment by 2020.
- Ensure access to combination prevention options, including pre-exposure prophylaxis, voluntary medical male circumcision, harm reduction and condoms, to at least 90 per cent of people by 2020
- Eliminate gender inequalities and end all forms of violence and discrimination against women and girls, people living with HIV and key populations by 2020.
- Ensure that 90 per cent of young people have the skills, knowledge and capacity to protect them from HIV. Ensure they have access to sexual and reproductive health services by 2020
- Ensure that 75 per cent of people living with, at risk of and affected by HIV benefit from HIV-sensitive social protection by 2020.
- Ensure that at least 30 per cent of all service delivery is community-led by 2020.
- Ensure that HIV investments increase to US$ 26 billion by 2020, including a quarter for HIV prevention and 6% for social enablers.
- Empower people living with, at risk of and affected by HIV to know their rights and to access justice and legal services to prevent and challenge violations of human rights.
- Commit to taking AIDS out of isolation through people-centred systems to improve universal health coverage, including treatment for tuberculosis, cervical cancer and hepatitis B and C.