Equalize global HIV response global : WHO
In recognition of World AIDS Day on December 1, the World Health Organization (WHO) brings into focus and addresses inequalities in HIV response, which it has stated is critical to achieving the global goal of ending AIDS by 2030. Despite what appears to be a lag in HIV response, WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus reminds that HIV remains a major public health issue impacting millions of people worldwide.
According to WHO statistics, among the 38 million people living with HIV are 5.9 million who are aware they have HIV but are not receiving treatment. Yet another 4 million HIV-positive people have not yet been diagnosed. While 76% of adults worldwide were receiving antiretroviral treatment, only 52% of HIV-infected children had access to this treatment in 2021.
Similarly, 70% of new HIV infections occur among people who are “marginalized and often criminalized”. According to the WHO, while overall transmission has decreased in Africa, there has been no marked decrease of transmission “among men who have sex with men” in the last ten years.
According to WHO data, 52% of people diagnosed with mpox were HIV-positive. People who have mpox and untreated HIV appear to be at a higher risk of severe disease than people who do not have HIV, it said.
The current mpox response demonstrates that transmission can occur quickly in sexual networks and among marginalized populations. It can, however, be avoided through community-led responses and open attitudes toward stigma.
According to Dr. Meg Doherty, WHO Director of the HIV, Hepatitis, and STI programs, everyone has the right to HIV services.
Thus, the key to ending AIDS is to end new infections among children, lack of treatment access for them, and structural barriers, stigma, and discrimination against key populations globally.
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