What a Difference 10 Years Can Make

The International AIDS Conference themed “Turning the Tide Together” closed in Washington, D.C., on Friday. Throughout the conference, we heard leaders in the fight recall how at the start of the millennium, few could have imaged we would begin to reverse the course of this disease in only 10 years, that seeing the end of AIDS would be possible in our lifetimes. Back then – just a decade ago – the tide was swiftly and increasingly moving in an awful direction. HIV/AIDS had already killed more than 20 million Africans and was threatening to take the lives of forty million more. Effective HIV treatment existed at the time, but only 50,000 people in sub-Saharan Africa had access to these life-saving antiretroviral drugs (ARVs). Jump forward to today and the new UNAIDS report, and we see 6.2 million people now have access to ARVs in sub-Saharan Africa, and 8 million people do around the world. Over half (54%) of the global need is now being met.

We also see strong progress in the goal to virtually end transmission of HIV from moms to their babies by 2015 and deliver the first AIDS free generation in more than 30 years. 2002 saw a peak in new infections among children, with an average of more than 1,500 babies born with HIV each day around the world. That number is now down to near 900, thanks in large part to an increase in access for pregnant mothers living with HIV. We are now reaching 57% with effective treatment to prevent transmission, up from 48% in 2010, and up from only 9% in 2004.

The Global Fund announced some momentous gains, as well:

– 3.6 million people living with HIV are now receiving ARVs under programs backed by the Global Fund, an increase of 600,000 since the end of 2010.

– 1.5 million HIV positive pregnant women have received a complete course of ARV treatment under
programs supported by the Global Fund.

– The Global Fund has now helped save the lives of 8.7 million people.

Yes, the tide is turning, and it has taken a massive and sustained collective effort of national governments, the private sector, non-governmental organizations, faith-based organizations, and individuals who have come together and are committed to ending the AIDS pandemic. There is still much work left to do, but with the announcement of this new data, we should take a moment to remember what this fight looked like a only a decade ago, celebrate the progress made since, and then recommit ourselves to helping deliver an AIDS free generation by 2015.