UNAIDS Report: Progress & Challenges in HIV/AIDS Fight

• 19 Jul 2023

For Prelims: World AIDS Day, AIDS, HIV

For Mains: Status of AIDS Globally and Nationally, AIDS, HIV, Related Initiatives

Source: DTE

Why in News?

A recent report titled "The Path That Ends AIDS" by the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) sheds light on the progress made in combating reveals the ongoing challenges and progress in the global fight against Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).

• The report emphasizes the need for continued efforts to ensure access to treatment, address inequalities, combat stigma and discrimination, and secure adequate funding.

What are the Key Highlights of the UNAIDS Report?

• AIDS-Related Deaths and Access to Treatment:
  • AIDS claimed a life every minute in 2022.
  • Approximately 9.2 million people living with HIV worldwide lacked access to treatment in 2022.
  • Out of the 2.1 million people receiving treatment, many were not virally suppressed.
• Treatment Progress and Global Targets:
  • 29.8 million out of 39 million people living with HIV globally are receiving life-saving treatment.
  • Between 2020 and 2022, 1.6 million additional people received HIV treatment each year.
  • The global target of 35 million people receiving HIV treatment by 2025 is within reach if the progress is sustained.
• Slow Treatment Progress in Certain Regions:
  • Eastern Europe, Central Asia, the Middle East, and North Africa exhibited slower treatment progress.
  • Only around half of the over two million people living with HIV in these regions received antiretroviral therapy in 2022.
• Gender Discrimination and Treatment Rates:
  • Men living with HIV in sub-Saharan Africa, the Caribbean, Eastern Europe, and Central Asia are less likely to receive treatment compared to women.
  • Gender discrimination needs to be addressed to ensure equal access to treatment.
• Impact on Children:
  • AIDS-related deaths among children reduced by 64% from 2010 to 2022.
    • However, approximately 84,000 children lost their lives to HIV in 2022.
  • Around 43% of the 1.5 million children living with HIV did not receive treatment in 2022.
• Challenges in HIV Prevention:
  • Women and girls accounted for 63% of all new HIV infections in sub-Saharan Africa.
  • Only about 42% of districts with high HIV incidence in the region have dedicated prevention programs.
  • Enhanced prevention efforts are needed to address this gap.
• Funding Gaps:
  • HIV incidence has declined in regions with increased prevention funding.
  • Eastern Europe, Central Asia, the Middle East, and North Africa face challenges in their HIV epidemics due to a lack of funding.
  • In 2022, only USD 20.8 billion was available for HIV programs in low- and middle-income countries, falling short of the USD 29.3 billion required by 2025.
  • Fluctuating Funding Levels:
    • In the early 2010s, funding substantially increased, but it has since fallen back to 2013 levels.
    • In 2022, there was a 2.6% drop in funding compared to the previous year, with only USD 20.8 billion available for HIV programs in low- and middle-income countries.
    • The funding gap remains significant, as the required amount by 2025 is USD 29.3 billion.

Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS:

• It is leading the global effort to end AIDS as a public health threat by 2030 as part of the Sustainable Development Goals. It was started in 1996.
• UNAIDS has a vision of zero new HIV infections, zero discrimination and zero AIDS-related deaths, and a principle of leaving no one behind.
• The UN Political declaration on ending AIDS was adopted in 2016 which seeks to end AIDS as a public health threat by 2030.

What is AIDS Disease?

• About:
  • AIDS is a chronic, potentially life-threatening health condition caused by HIV that interferes with the body's ability to fight infections.
  • HIV attacks CD4, a type of White Blood Cell (T cells) in the body’s immune system.
    • T cells are those cells that move around the body detecting anomalies and infections in cells.
  • After entering the body, HIV multiplies itself and destroys CD4 cells, thus severely damaging the human immune system. Once this virus enters the body, it can never be removed.
  • The CD4 count of a person infected with HIV reduces significantly. In a healthy body, CD4 count is between 500- 1600, but in an infected body, it can go as low as 200.
• Transmission:
  • HIV spreads through contact with certain body fluids (blood, semen, etc.) from an infected person.
  • Transmission routes include unprotected sex, sharing contaminated needles, and mother-to-child during childbirth or breastfeeding.
• Symptoms:
  • Initial symptoms include fatigue, fever, and sores.
  • Progression to AIDS may lead to severe symptoms like pneumonia and certain cancers.
• Prevention:
  • Precautions can be taken to prevent mother-to-child transmission.
  • Early diagnosis and treatment should be sought.
  • Pre-marital testing can be considered, including an HIV test, for overall safety.
  • Protective techniques should be used to ensure safety from Sexually Transmitted Diseases.

What are India’s Initiatives to Curb AIDS Disease?

• HIV and AIDS (Prevention and Control) Act, 2017:
  • According to this act, the central and state governments shall take measures to prevent the spread of HIV or AIDS.
• Access to ART:
  • India has made Antiretroviral Therapy (ART) affordable and accessible to over 90 per cent of people living with HIV in the world.
• Memorandum of Understanding (MoU):
  • The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare signed a MoU with the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment in 2019 for enhanced HIV/AIDS outreach and to reduce the incidence of social stigma and discrimination against victims of drug abuse and Children and People Living with HIV/AIDS.
• Project Sunrise :
  • Launched by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare in 2016, to tackle the rising HIV prevalence in north-eastern states in India, especially among people injecting drugs.

UPSC Civil Services Examination Previous Year Question (PYQ)

Q. Which of the following diseases can be transmitted from one person to another through tattooing? (2013)

1. Chikungunya
2. Hepatitis B
3. HIV-AIDS

Select the correct answer using the codes given below:

(a) 1 only
(b) 2 and 3 only
(c) 1 and 3 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3

Ans: (b)