New Delhi, June 3
As the world prepares to mark 30 years of AIDS (the infection was first reported on June 5, 1981), it has a lot to cheer about the progress made towards reversal of the epidemic.Much of this progress happened over the last decade, with the global rate of new HIV infections falling by 25 per cent between 2001 and 2009.

In India, which led the decline, the rate of new infections fell by over 50 per cent and in South Africa by over 35 per cent. Both these countries have the largest number of people living with HIV (PLHIVs) on their continents.

They get their share of attention in the new UNAIDS report titled “AIDS at 30: Nations at the crossroads”, published to mark 30 years of AIDS. The research shows that 6.6 million people were receiving antiretroviral therapy (ART) in low and middle-income countries at the end of 2010 - a 22-fold increase since 2001.

Released today, the report holds promises for the future, and says a record 1.4 million people started lifesaving treatment in 2010. At least 4.2 lakh children were receiving ART at the end of 2010, over 50 per cent increase since 2008.

“Access to treatment will transform the AIDS response in the next decade. We must invest in accelerating access and finding new treatment options,” Michel Sidibé, UNAIDS Executive Director said. His statement follows recent trial results that indicated if a PLHIV adhered to ART regimen, the risk of transmitting the virus to his uninfected sexual partner could fall by 96 per cent. Therapy has come in handy even for children who are now reporting lesser infections.

The report puts the number of children newly infected with HIV in 2009 at 26 per cent lower than in 2001.

Awareness remains a challenge, so does lack of ART access. At the end of 2010, the world housed 34 million PLHIVs and had lost 30 million to the infection. The new report warns the governments against complacency in ART access, showing that at the end of 2010, nine million people eligible for treatment didn’t have access. Treatment access for children was lower - 28 per cent eligible children were receiving ART in 2009 compared to 36 per cent eligible people of all ages. Disturbingly, the total number of HIV infections remains high at about 7,000 per day.