Incredible strides made in AIDS treatment
THE world is no stranger to the devastation AIDS can cause to families and communities.
Today is World AIDS Day, a day to acknowledge the continuing affects of the disease on millions of lives but also look at how far the world has come.
A UNAIDS report shows access to HIV treatment has risen significantly since 2000.
That year only 685,000 people living with HIV had access to antiretroviral therapy, but now in June 2017 that number has risen to 20.9 million people.
The UN credits the courage of people living with HIV for the rise, as they have begun to claim their rights and are being supported by strong leadership.
Despite these strides, there are still some staggering statistics outlining the scale of the AIDS problem worldwide.
In 2016 alone:
- 36.7 million people globally were living with HIV
- 1.8 million people became newly infected with HIV
- 1 million people died from AIDS-related illness
It is a disease that has affected 76.1 million people since the epidemic began, but with many of the UN Sustainable Development Goals focusing on health and equality, there is hope for ending the epidemic.
