HopeThe United Nations said in a new report that a major expansion of access to treatment has reduced the number of AIDS deaths in 2010, the number of people living with HIV in a record 34 million.

Speaking to reporters in Berlin on Monday Michel Sidibé, UNAIDS Executive Director, declared progress in treatment was a “game-changer.”

He continued, “We are on the verge of a breakthrough in the AIDS response. New HIV infections continue to fall and more people are starting treatment. For the first time, we can show that if all people are put on treatment, a reduction in the number of new infections is possible.”

The tally of people with HIV is increasing because of the decline in AIDS deaths. But the number of new HIV infections worldwide, according to the latest UNAIDS report on the occasion of World AIDS Day December 1 fell to a record 2.67 million last year, falling from 21 percent compared to the number of infections in 1997.

In Germany, the Robert Koch Institute said there were about 2,700 new infections so far in 2011 (2009: 2885). RKI said that some 73 000 people in Germany have been infected with human immunodeficiency virus, (HIV).

Access to treatment improved greatly

UNAIDS, who spearhead the Joint United Nations drive to ensure better access to healthcare, are pleased to note that the number of AIDS-related deaths is also falling.   Encouraging improvement figures relating to AIDS during 2010 show 1,8 million as opposed to 2.2 million in 2006.

The report shows that not only treatment to prevent new AIDS-related deaths, but also contribute significantly to a decrease in new HIV infections. Patients receiving drugs are less likely to infect others, because prevention programs are combined with treatment.

New infections recorded in children was also down to 390,000 – well below the figure of 550,000 reflected in 2001. UNAIDS noted that globally, almost half of all pregnant women carrying the virus had received drugs to prevent mother to child transmission.

The UN report says that about half of those receiving treatment show the most dramatic improvement in sub-Saharan Africa, where the number of people receiving treatment increased by 20 percent between 2009 and 2010.

It is also encouraging to expect the full preventive effect of HIV / AIDS treatment showing significant improvement in the next five years as more countries achieve high levels of treatment coverage.

Problem areas

In some countries, including Russia, Ukraine and Central Asia, the number of HIV infections and AIDS deaths between 2001 and 2010 increased 250 percent. The cause of most of these cases was not sexual transmission, but the use of contaminated equipment.

On the negative side, however, despite decades of research, there is no AIDS vaccine in sight and the disease remains incurable.

The UN agency said that given the current economic problem worldwide eradication of the disease was still on the ‘wish list’. Governments in some countries most affected want to act but when there is no money to achieve the goals, this unfortunately amounts to nothing.

Information courtesy of Gregg Benzow (dpa, AFP, Reuters)