Africa Reports 'Dramatic' Improvement in HIV Treatment: UN

Greatly improved access to HIV treatment has led to a steady drop in AIDS-related deaths in sub-Saharan Africa, UNAIDS reported Monday in its annual report ahead of World AIDS Day (Dec. 1).

“The most dramatic increases in antiretroviral therapy coverage have occurred in sub-Saharan Africa, with a 20 percent increase between 2009 and 2010 alone,” the report said.

Treatment coverage of more than 80 percent has been achieved in Botswana, Namibia, and Rwanda, while Swaziland and Zambia have reported coverage levels of 70 percent-80 percent. In sub-Saharan Africa, “introducing HIV treatment has dramatically reduced AIDS-related mortality,” UNAIDS said.

Nonetheless, some 1.2 million people died from AIDS last year in the region, which has 22.9 million people living with HIV, or 68 percent of cases globally.

“Since the peak of the epidemic in 1997, the total number of new HIV infections in the region has declined by more than 26 percent, from 2.6 million to 1.9 million,” UNAIDS said. In South Africa, prevalence fell by one-third between 2001 and 2009, from 2.4 percent to 1.5 percent.

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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