# 5986
Like so many others, I’ve lost friends to the AIDS pandemic over the years, which has claimed more than 25 million lives over the past 3 decades. Today there are an estimated 33 million people around the world living with HIV.
The availability of antiretroviral therapy (ART) today means that HIV infection isn’t the automatic death sentence it once was, but not everyone is able to get this vital treatment.
The global economic difficulties of the past several years have put a dent in public and private funding of many health initiatives, including HIV prevention and treatment (see BBC report HIV funding cut as science brings 'decisive moment')
Progress has been made, however, although not evenly around the world. Today, a brief roundup of World AIDS Day related links.
First, from the World Health Organization.
Significant global progress in preventing and treating HIV
WHO
30 November 2011 -- The new Report on the global HIV/AIDS response released today, shows inspiring progress with a 15% reduction of new infections and a 22% decline in deaths. This progress highlights the importance of long-term investment in HIV/AIDS. There is now a very real possibility of getting ahead of the epidemic. However, gains made to date are being threatened by a decline in resources for AIDS.
The ECDC’s report on AIDS and HIV shows that progress isn’t universal, with new HIV infection rates continuing to rise across the European Union and the European Economic Area (EU/EEA).
World AIDS Day: HIV transmission shows no sign of declining in Europe
30 Nov 2011
ECDC
Marking World AIDS Day 2011, ECDC and the WHO Regional Office for Europe release today their joint publication HIV/AIDS surveillance in Europe 2010. The new data raises concern about the continuing transmission of HIV in Europe, as newly diagnosed HIV infections are still on the increase.
In 2010, 27.116 newly diagnosed HIV infections were reported across the European Union and the European Economic Area (EU/EEA) indicating an increase of around 4%. In contrast, the steady decrease of AIDS cases continued in 2010 with 4.666 reported cases in the EU/EEA region. This constitutes a decrease of nearly 50% in reported AIDS cases from 2004 to 2010.
The HIV epidemics are remarkably distinct in individual countries but overall HIV continues to disproportionally affect certain key populations, in particular men who have sex with men, persons originating from countries with generalised HIV epidemics and people who inject drugs.
The CDC’s MMWR yesterday released a Vital Signs Report:
Vital Signs: HIV Prevention Through Care and Treatment — United States
Early Release
November 29, 2011 / 60(Early Release);1-6Abstract
Background: An estimated 1.2 million persons in the United States were living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection in 2008. Improving survival of persons with HIV and reducing transmission involve a continuum of services that includes diagnosis (HIV testing), linkage to and retention in HIV medical care, and ongoing HIV prevention interventions, including appropriately timed antiretroviral therapy (ART).
Methods: CDC used three surveillance datasets to estimate recent HIV testing and HIV prevalence among U.S. adults by state, and the percentages of HIV-infected adults receiving HIV care for whom ART was prescribed, who achieved viral suppression, and who received prevention counseling from health-care providers. Published data were used to estimate the numbers of persons in the United States living with and diagnosed with HIV and, based on viral load and CD4 laboratory reports, linked to and retained in HIV care.
Results: In 2010, 9.6% of adults had been tested for HIV during the preceding 12 months (range by state: 4.9%--29.8%). Of the estimated 942,000 persons with HIV who were aware of their infection, approximately 77% were linked to care, and 51% remained in care. Among HIV-infected adults in care, 45% received prevention counseling, and 89% were prescribed ART, of whom 77% had viral suppression. Thus, an estimated 28% of all HIV-infected persons in the United States have a suppressed viral load.
Conclusions: Prevalence of HIV testing and linkage to care are high but warrant continued effort. Increasing the percentages of HIV-infected persons who remain in HIV care, achieve viral suppression, and receive prevention counseling requires additional effort.
Implications for Public Health Practice: Public health officials and HIV care providers should improve engagement at each step in the continuum of HIV care and monitor progress in every community using laboratory reports of viral load and CD4 test results.
And last stop is the WORLD AIDS DAY website, where you can find out more about this ongoing pandemic, and how you can help.
