HIV/AIDS Worldwide Report

HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) and AIDS (Acquired ImmunoDeficiency Syndrome) are

related diseases that destroy a specific type of white blood cell in the immune system in humans.

HIV is a virus that can develop into AIDS if not treated. HIV can be transmitted through blood,

sexual contact, and from mother to child, making it quite widespread. Thus, we should increase

funding for research into and prevention of HIV/AIDS, because of the huge number of victims,

lack of awareness and support for patients, and the surprising lack of current progress.

According to UNAIDS (2019), over 37.9 million people are currently infected with HIV, out of

which 8.1 million do not know they are victims. 1.7 million of these patients are children (<15

years old) and 61% of them are in sub-Saharan Africa (UNAIDS, 2019, p. 17). Since the

beginning of the AIDS epidemic, 42.72% of the 74.9 million infected have died (UNAIDS,

2019). According to Rosen (2020), the disease has the greatest burden in Southern sub-Saharan

Africa, accounting for more than 1-in-4 deaths in countries like South Africa, Botswana,

Namibia, etc. Two-thirds of all HIV victims, around 25.7 million people, live in the WHO Africa

region (WHO, 2019). Also, WHO (2019) mentions that around 770,000 continue to die each

year, while 2 million become newly affected. Noticeably, the number of deaths is from

HIV/AIDS is 50% greater than those from malaria (IHME GBD, 2017). Perhaps most

concerning of all, 1 person falls victim to HIV every 20 seconds (Urban, 2017)

Overwhelmingly, the patients infected are part of marginalized groups like young women,

nonbinary, and the abjectly poor, referred to as ‘key populations’ (WHO, 2019). Among those

infected, few support systems are in place. Only 64.64% of patients access ART (antiretroviral

therapy) according to UNAIDS (2019) due to its unavailability and high cost. As of now, no drug
has been developed for curing HIV (Mayo Clinic, 2019). The WHO (2019) says that expanding

ART to all patients could avert 21 million AIDS-related deaths and 28 million new infections by

2030 because patients not on ART can only expect to live for 9-11 more years. Since there is no

cure, victims also face higher risks of non-communicable diseases, like heart disease, diabetes

and arthritis (PublicHealth, 2020). PublicHealth (2020) also says, “Other conditions range from

pulmonary and cardiovascular failures to disorders of the nervous system, and a compromised

immune system caused by the antiretrovirals prescribed to treat them [victims of HIV]”. The side

effects of the ART drugs reveal the urgent necessity of developing a cure.

Lastly, there has been a surprising lack of progress in reducing HIV prevalence. The United

Nations has laid out its 90-90-90 goals, aiming to ensure that 90% of all people living with HIV

know their status, 90% of all people with diagnosed HIV receive sustained antiretroviral therapy,

and that 90% of people receiving antiretroviral therapy experience viral suppression (UNAIDS,

2014, p. 1). These goals were meant to be achieved by 2020, but the world has fallen short

(Brand, 2017). According to WEF (2015), to reach UN targets by 2030, the infection rates will

have to be cut from 2 million/year today to 200,000/year by 2030. There has also been reverse

progress: WHO (2018) reveals that in 2018, for the first time, individuals from ‘key population’

groups and their sexual partners accounted for over half of all new HIV infections globally.

Despite the lack of progress, funding for HIV/AIDS prevention and research has gone in the

opposite direction: down. The KFF (2019) says that funding levels have been almost flat since

2010, with a slope of -5%, i.e. trending slightly down. If the budget cuts proposed for PEPFAR

(President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief) and the Global Fund come into effect, almost
838,000 fewer people will be treated each year (Urban, 2017). PEPFAR has already saved 11

million lives. Why stop? (Urban, 2017)

In conclusion, the world has made some progress in the fight against HIV/AIDS, but many

obstacles still remain. Huge numbers of people are still affected, and most of them do not have

effective support systems to fall back on to. The lack of awareness and shortage of research,

coupled with a decrease in global funding, compound the problem. Hence, HIV/AIDS should be

the world’s focus for the next decade, so that we can rid humanity of this terrible infliction.

References:
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