Based on the latest data from 182 countries, the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), new Global Report provides evidence that the many HIV prevention programs around the globe are producing significant results.
The Global Report: UNAIDS Report on the Global AIDS Epidemic is a comprehensive analysis on the AIDS epidemic and response. For the first time, the report includes trend data on incidence from more than 60 countries.
According to the report, data show that the AIDS epidemic is beginning to change course as the number of people newly infected with HIV is declining and AIDS-related deaths are decreasing. These investments in prevention are paying off, although the report warns that the gains are “fragile.” Although the number of new HIV infections is decreasing, there are two new HIV infections for every one person starting HIV treatment.
The report notes that roughly 20 percent of the estimated 15.9 million people who inject drugs worldwide are living with HIV. Access to HIV prevention services, including risk reduction programs for people who inject drugs, has reached 32 percent—far short of what is needed to protect drug users from HIV worldwide.