A UN report released by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon ahead of a high-level meeting on HIV/AIDS shows around 3 million infected people in the developing world received antiretroviral (ARV) treatment last year - a 42 percent increase over 2006.
"Since 2006, progress in response to HIV is evident in many regions," the 27-page report said. "However, progress is uneven, and the expansion of the epidemic itself is often outstripping the pace at which services are being brought to scale."
According to the report, 70 percent of people with HIV/AIDS in the developing world still do not have access to ARVs, and the number of newly infected people last year was 2.5 times higher than the number receiving treatment. The disease remains the leading cause of death in sub-Saharan Africa.
From 2001 to 2007, the number of overall AIDS-related deaths decreased from 3.9 million to 2.1 million, while the number of new infections decreased from 3.2 million in 1998 to 2.5 million last year, the report found. Still, "the breadth and severity of the epidemic remain unmatched in modern times by any other infectious disease," it noted.
The meeting on Tuesday and Wednesday focuses on progress on the international fight against AIDS. Eight presidents and more than 90 prime ministers, foreign ministers, and health ministers are expected to attend.
"Serious challenges remain," said Ban. "In several countries, prevalence is rising among young people as well as women and girls. Five million Africans still need treatment."
06/10/08
GLOBAL: AIDS Drugs Reaching More People in Developing World, UN Says
Source: Washington Post:: Colum Lynch; Courtesy of the CDC National Center for HIV, STD, and TB Prevention