UNAIDS International AIDS Conference: Urgent action needed as global crises undermine HIV/AIDS response

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In its annual report, UNAIDS said urgent action is needed to revive the fight against HIV/AIDS after it was derailed by “overlapping crises”, leaving up to 4,000 people with new HIV infections every day.

“The data we are sharing today brings painful but important news,” UNAIDS Executive Director Winnie Byanyima said during a press conference.

UNAIDS

Byanyima said the response has been pushed back by the collision of the HIV and COVID-19 pandemics, the war in Ukraine and the resulting economic crises.

“Progress has stopped, inequalities have widened and millions of lives are at risk,” he added.

Key findings

New UNAIDS data released as part of the International AIDS Conference showed that progress in the fight against HIV has slowed, with the number of new infections falling by just 3.6% between 2020 and and in 2021. This was the smallest annual drop since 2016, Byanyima said.

In total, 38.4 million people were living with HIV worldwide in 2021—36.7 million adults aged 15 and over and 1.7 million children—of whom 85% knew their status, leaving approximately 5.9 million who did not know they were living with HIV.

There were 1.5 million new HIV infections, which translates to approximately 4,000 per day and is 1 million more than the UNAIDS target of 500,000.

By the end of 2021, the majority of people with HIV (75%) were accessing treatment, including 76% of people aged 15 and over and 52% of children. Despite this, there were 650,000 AIDS-related deaths in 2021.

“Last year, in 2021, we lost one person every minute to an AIDS-related disease, even though we have the necessary medicines to save those lives,” Byanyima said.

“Let me be clear, this report is not a call for despair; this is a call to action,” he added. “This report shows us how to have an effective response by tackling inequalities head on.”

A disproportionate burden

The report highlighted the inequalities in HIV burden seen among people aged 15 to 24, particularly young women.

According to the report, a new infection occurred in a teenage girl or young woman every 2 minutes. In sub-Saharan Africa, adolescent girls and young women accounted for 63% of all new cases.

“This is an area where we need to double down and do more,” said Keren Dunaway, gender equality officer at the International Community of Women Living with HIV.

Similarly, in 2021, other key populations such as sex workers, men who have sex with men, people who inject drugs and transgender women accounted for a large number of new HIV infections: 70%. These populations faced a 30-, 28-, 35-, and 14-fold increased risk of acquiring HIV, respectively.

Financing the fight

A crucial element in combating these setbacks is funding. However, the report showed that resources available for HIV in low- and middle-income countries declined, leaving their HIV responses $8 billion below the amount needed by 2025.

According to the report, overseas development assistance for HIV from donor countries, with the exception of the US, has fallen by 57% over the past decade. Unlike what had been seen in previous years, national investments in HIV do not replace lost international funding. In fact, the report showed that domestic financing in low- and middle-income countries has fallen for 2 consecutive years, including by 2% in 2021. Low- and middle-income countries will need about $29 billion to recover the right way 2025 to end AIDS as a threat to global health.

“It is still possible for leaders to recover the answer to end AIDS by 2030,” Byanyima said. “Ending AIDS will cost a lot less money than not ending AIDS.”

Anthony S. Fauci, MD, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, who also participated in the news conference, said the report serves as a reminder that HIV continues to “run rampant,” although the focus has been on COVID-19. 19 and monkey pox.

Anthony S. Fauci

“There has definitely been a rollback in the response to HIV,” he said, adding that this was seen in many countries, including the US.

“Collectively, we must redouble our efforts to implement existing treatments and prevention strategies, to strive for better ones to reach vulnerable communities, and to renew our commitment to equity, education and outreach” , he said. “We can do better.”

References:

UNAIDS Global HIV and AIDS statistics — Fact sheet. Published July 27, 2022. Accessed July 27, 2022.

UNAIDS Global AIDS Update 2022. Published 27 July 2022. Accessed 27 July 2022.

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