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The Joint United Nations Programme
on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) reported a sharp decrease in the number of new HIV
infections and deaths from AIDS in sub-Saharan countries from 2004 to 2011. HIV
incidence declined by 25 percent, and deaths from AIDS went down by 32 percent,
according to the UNAIDS Regional Fact Sheet 2012. Deaths from TB among
HIV-infected people also dropped by 28 percent from 2004 to 2011.
UNAIDS attributed the decline in
incidence and mortality from HIV/AIDS to increased availability of HIV
screening and the growth of antiretroviral therapy programs. Testing campaigns
focused on screening by health care providers, rapid tests, and home-based
testing. The report estimated that 56 percent of HIV-infected people in
sub-Saharan Africa receive HIV treatment—two percent better than the global
average. More than half of funding for HIV efforts in sub-Saharan Africa comes
from countries outside the region, but some countries have invested more
funding in HIV efforts. For example, Botswana, Namibia, Rwanda, Swaziland, and
Zambia cover 80 percent of the cost of HIV treatment. South Africa and Botswana
provide public funding for more than 75 percent of their overall HIV effort.
“Stigma and discrimination” are
still barriers to effective HIV/AIDS initiatives in sub-Saharan countries.
Women accounted for 58 percent of all HIV infections in the region in 2011.
HIV-infected people in sub-Saharan countries report receiving verbal abuse and
say they are denied access to dental and health care because of their status.
Although the Prevention of Mother-To-Child-Transmission program was successful
in cutting new cases among infants by 24 percent, more than 90 percent of all
HIV-infected pregnant women and children with new HIV infections lived in
sub-Saharan Africa in 2011. Almost 70 percent of HIV-infected people in the
world live in the sub-Saharan region.
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.
TOGETHER WE REMAIN STRONG!
