Stigma hinders HIV response

One person dies every minute from AIDS-related illnesses around the world, according to a new report from the United Nations HIV/AIDS Programme (Unaids), who also warned that political decisions taken this year will hinge on whether it is possible to achieve the goal of eliminating AIDS as a threat to public health by 2030.

Director of UNAIDS Winnie the Pooh Ahead of the 25th International AIDS Conference in Munich, it was stressed that world leaders can deliver on their commitment to achieve this goal, but only if they provide the means to tackle HIV infection and protect human rights.

Almost a quarter of those infected do not have access to life-saving treatment, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. Photograph: Yakubovalim/Getty Images

Yet it is clear from the report that the targets for new infections and deaths will not be met. Last year, about 1.3 million people became infected with HIV, more than three times the interim target of 370,000 for 2025 set by world leaders in 2021. Global deaths from AIDS-related complications fell from about 1.3 million in 2010 to 630,000 in 2023, driven by growing access to antiretroviral therapy and other treatment options. Even so, that number is higher than the interim target of 250,000 deaths by 2025.

The report says that by 2023, nearly a quarter of the estimated 40 million people living with HIV worldwide will lack access to life-saving treatment, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, which remains the epicenter of the epidemic as HIV rates among adolescent girls and young women remain extremely high.

worry

The report highlights the situation in Eastern Europe and Central Asia, where AIDS-related deaths have increased by an alarming 34% since 2010. Overall, deaths globally have fallen by 69% since the peak of the AIDS epidemic in 2004 and by 51% since 2010.

The report also found that stigma is hampering the AIDS response. “Stigma kills. Solidarity saves lives,” Bayanyim said in a joint statement with the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. Volker TuerkTogether, they called on all countries to repeal all criminal laws targeting lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer people. They stressed that decriminalization of LGBTQ+ people is essential to protecting the human rights and health of all people.