Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Geneva (Agenzia Fides) - Since the beginning of the AIDS epidemic, nearly 60 million people have been infected with HIV and 25 million have died. Fortunately, new infections are falling and over the last eight years have dropped by 17%. These are the findings from the latest estimates disclosed by the UN in Geneva. In 2008, they recorded 2.7 million new infections and 2 million deaths related to AIDS. The latest UNAIDS Report highlights the importance of prevention programs that have contributed to the decline of HIV. The data show that many more HIV-positive are alive than before thanks to the effects of antiretroviral therapy and the growth of the population. The number of deaths related to AIDS has dropped by 10% over the past five years because many people have access to care. UNAIDS and WHO estimate that since 1996, effective treatments have been made available that have saved approximately 2.9 million lives.
Thanks to therapy administered to mothers infected with HIV, since 2001 nearly 200,000 new cases among children have been prevented. In Botswana, where treatment is offered to 80% of patients, AIDS-related deaths have decreased by 50% over the last five years and the number of orphans is decreasing due to the fact that parents can stay alive longer. Since 2001, the date of ratification of the Declaration of Commitment on HIV/AIDS of United Nations, the number of new infections in sub-Saharan Africa has decreased by about 15%, 400,000 cases less than in 2008. To improve results and improve the living conditions of 33.4 million people infected with HIV as well as the millions of people who are part of programs for AIDS, UNAIDS launched a social network called AIDSspace.org, free and open to the community. The goal is to expand the informal networks to include a larger number of people living with HIV and offer a more effective response to AIDS. (AP) (Agenzia Fides 25/11/2009)
