By Chioma Obinna & Gabriel Olawale

Lagos—As Nigeria today joins the rest of the
world to mark 2015 World AIDS Day, the World
Health Organisation, WHO, yesterday announced
that the Millennium Development Goal that
called for halting and reversing the spread of
HIV on a global basis was met with 7.8 million
lives saved in 15 years.

WHO also announced that the number of HIV
deaths was reduced by 42 per cent by 2014
from a peak of more than 2 million in 2004 to
an estimated 1.2 million.

The global health body, in a new report to mark
this year’s World AIDS Day however noted that
the world is poised to end the AIDS epidemic
by 2030.

The report tagged; “Global Health Sector
Response to HIV 2000-2015”also observed that
the projections of an end to the epidemic by
2030 once considered to be unattainable are
now realistic.

According to the report, “The rapid scale-up of
access to Antiretroviral Therapy, ART, one of
the greatest public health achievements in
recent times, has made treatment available to
more than 16 million people living with HIV
across the globe.

“Today, more than 11 million people in the WHO
African Region alone are receiving HIV
treatment, versus about 11 000 who were taking
the medications 15 years ago,” the report
added.

Describing the progress as a thousand-fold
increase, the report which noted that more
must be done disclosed that globally 60 percent
of all people living with HIV have not yet
enrolled in antiretroviral treatment.

Reacting to the report in the statement, the
WHO Regional Director for Africa, Dr.
Matshidiso Moeti explained that in the last 15
years, new HIV infections have reduced by 41
per cent in the African Region, more than in any
region in the world.

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2015/12/world-aids-day-7-8m-lives-saved-in-15-years-who/


Lalasticlala

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