In a press release, UNAIDS reflects on the current state of the fight against HIV and AIDS, and notes that while there are numerous setbacks, it is possible to renew the fight.
It notes that the global response to HIV was already flagging before the advent of the COVID pandemic, and this has only pushed back the effort further. According to the agency, projections show 123 000 to 293 000 additional new HIV infections, along with 69 000 to 148 000 additional AIDS-related deaths between 2020 and 2022.
The agency strongly criticised the lack of political commitment which has led to this combined blow. Winnie Byanyima, Executive Director of UNAIDS said, “The collective failure to invest sufficiently in comprehensive, rights-based, people-centred HIV responses has come at a terrible price. Implementing just the most politically palatable programmes will not turn the tide against COVID-19 or end AIDS. To get the global response back on track will require putting people first and tackling the inequalities on which epidemics thrive.”
By proposing bold new targets for 2025, UNAIDS believes that the world can successfully meet its goal of ending HIV as a public health threat by 2030. The goals include reducing discrimination against HIV sufferers, removing punitive laws and combating gender inequality and gender-based violence. However, not all is negative: countries such as Botswana and eSwatini have already exceeded their 2020 targets. There are other positive spots, such as the infrastructure used to fight HIV/AIDS being leveraged in the fight against COVID.
Source: UNAIDS
