December 1 is World AIDS Day. The number of people living with HIV is currently about 36.9 million worldwide. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said in a message on Dec. 1 that we must attack the epidemic on all fronts in order to defeat it and prevent its resurgence.
The latest figures from the World Health Organization show that AIDS remains a major global public health problem. To date, HIV has claimed the lives of more than 34 million people worldwide, and about 1.2 million people died from HIV-related illnesses in 2014.
Ban noted that in the Sustainable Development Goals adopted in September, world leaders unanimously committed to ending the AIDS epidemic by 2030. This commitment demonstrates the power of solidarity. We will continue to move forward shoulder-to-shoulder to end the epidemic.
At the end of 2014, there were approximately 36.9 million people living with HIV globally. 2014 saw approximately 2 million new HIV infections globally. The data show a downward trend in the number of new HIV infections worldwide. between 2000 and 2015, the number of new HIV infections worldwide declined by 35%. HIV-related deaths fell by 24 percent.
However, a recent UN report shows that in the Asia-Pacific region, HIV infections among adolescents in key populations have increased, especially among young gay men and other men who have sex with men. in 2014, more than 50,000 adolescents aged 15-19 in the Asia-Pacific region were newly infected with HIV, accounting for 15 percent of all new infections. A total of about 220,000 adolescents across the Asia-Pacific region are currently living with HIV, and new infections are associated with an increase in risky sexual behavior.
According to the WHO, there is still no cure for AIDS. However, trials have proven that the use of antiretroviral drugs by people living with HIV immediately after infection will be more likely to keep them healthy and reduce the chances of transmitting the virus to others. As of mid-2015, 15.8 million people living with HIV worldwide were receiving antiretroviral therapy.
On the occasion of World AIDS Day, the UN system held multiple events and called for the expansion of ART to all people living with HIV, with the aim of eliminating AIDS in the next generation.