About 36.9 million people globally are living with HIV according to the World Health Organisation, the United Nations Children’s Agency (UNICEF) and joint United Nations Programme on AIDS (UNAIDS).
Out of this number, 2.6 million children are living with the virus.
These statistics, released during this year’s celebration of World AIDS yesterday, indicate an estimated two million people were infected with HIV in 2014, with 34 million people dying from HIV or AIDS over the years, including 1.2 million in 2014.
The number of adolescent deaths from AIDS has also tripled over the last 15 years, especially in Africa where AIDS is the number one cause of death among adolescents and the second among adolescents globally.
In sub-Saharan Africa, the region with the highest prevalence, girls account for seven in 10 new infections among those aged 15-19. In Ghana, an estimated 250,000 people are living with HIV with 9,200 deaths being recorded. About 21,000 children in Ghana are living with HIV.
Despite widespread availability of HIV testing, only an estimated 51 percent of people with HIV know their status
Progress
The above statistics notwithstanding, there has been some tremendous progress in global efforts to break the transmission of HIV. Through the global response, 30 million new HIV infections and nearly 8 million deaths have been averted since 2000.
Also at the start of 2015, 15 million people were receiving antiretroviral therapy compared to one million in 2001. New HIV infections have been reduced by 35% since 2000 and AIDS-related deaths have been reduced by 42% since the peak in 2004.
Michel Sidibe, UNAIDS Executive Director, giving his global message for the day, said the world is on a fast-track to end AIDS. He, however, pointed out that more efforts need to be put in the HIV response as 23 million people are still living with HIV without treatment.
“This is a defining moment for us because we cannot afford anymore to keep people with HIV in isolation … HIV is about global health and we need to fast truck and quicken the pace of action,” he said.
World AIDS Day
World AIDS Day, held on December 1 each year, offers an opportunity for people worldwide to unite in the fight against HIV, show their support for people living with HIV and to commemorate people who have died. The theme for this year’s celebration is ‘Getting To Zero; End AIDS By 2030’.
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