World Failing to Meet 2010 HIV/AIDS Care Target

The world will not achieve universal access to HIV/AIDS care, treatment, and prevention by the end of this year, though the goal is within "clear reach" in a number of countries, according to a new joint report by the World Health Organization (WHO), UNAIDS and UNICEF. UN member states pledged four years ago to reach universal access targets of 80 percent coverage for the global HIV population, which in 2008 stood at more than 33 million people.

Worldwide, just one-third of those in need of antiretroviral therapy have access to it, the report said. In low- and middle-income countries, 5.2 million people received ARVs last year, 30 percent more than in 2008 and a 13-fold increase from six years ago. However, an estimated 10 million people still lack treatment access. Just eight low- and middle-income countries achieved universal access by 2009, including Cambodia, Cuba, and Rwanda.

The scale of prevention measures is still inadequate, the report noted. Population surveys in 10 low- and middle-income countries found that 60 percent of those infected did not know it, said Yves Souteyrand, WHO's HIV/AIDS coordinator. Stigma and discrimination against at-risk populations - sex workers, drug users, migrants, and men who have sex with men - add to their marginalization from treatment and care, the report said.

In 15 sub-Saharan countries, more than 80 percent of HIV-positive pregnant women received services and ARVs to prevent mother-to-child transmission, the report found. Botswana and South Africa were among them. Fourteen low- and middle-income countries provide pediatric ARVs for children with HIV.

"At the same time, the financial crisis and resulting economic recession have prompted some countries to reassess their commitments to HIV programs," noted the report, which urged nations to come through with pledges and funding. Otherwise, the world "risks undoing the gains of the past years," said the agency heads.

The Friends of AIDS Foundation is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.


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