Via ScienceInsider: HIV Infections and AIDS Deaths Dropping, But Epidemic Still Daunting. Excerpt:
A new global report on the HIV/AIDS epidemic spotlights success in both prevention and treatment efforts, but also stresses that countries must dramatically ramp up both if the world hopes to meet the ambitious goals agreed upon last year at a special session of the United Nations.
The report, released today by the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), estimates that the world had 34 million HIV-infected people at the end of 2011. The most heartening news is that the rate of new infections, 2.5 million people last year, represents a 20% drop from 2001.
The decline has been greater than 50% in 25 low- and middle-income countries, including some of the hardest hit in sub-Saharan Africa. Roughly one-half of the decline is the result of interventions that aim to prevent transmission of HIV from pregnant women to their babies.
"It's amazing what's happening," UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibé tells ScienceInsider. "We're increasing the pace of action. What was taking 10 years now is taking 2 years, even with the same level of resources."
Similarly impressive gains have occurred with treatment. Antiretroviral (ARV) drugs are now provided to 8 million people, a 20-fold jump since 2003. AIDS-related deaths have also fallen to 1.7 million, down from 2.3 million in 2005.So now only 4,657 people a day are dying of AIDS, down from 6,301.
