How AIDS could be defeated by 2030
In 2022, one person died of AIDS every minute. And yet there is reason for hope: the immunodeficiency disease could be largely eradicated by the end of this decade.
Even after coronavirus, it is the deadliest pandemic the world has seen: since the HI virus was discovered in the early 1980s, at least 35 million people worldwide have died from the immunodeficiency disease AIDS. These and other figures are published by the UN Programme to Fight AIDS UNAIDS.
An HIV diagnosis is no longer a death sentence
Although the HIV virus is still widespread worldwide, there has been great progress in combating it in recent decades. An important step in this process is that successful treatment options can control the HI virus and thus prevent the outbreak of AIDS. Infected people can lead a largely unrestricted life with treatment. HIV is no longer a death sentence. In addition, containing the viral load of HIV-positive people also prevents them from transmitting the virus further. Once the viral load is below the detection threshold, infected people no longer infect other people. The virus cannot spread any further.
Defeating HIV by 2030: the 95-95-95 targets
The United Nations has issued the 95-95-95 targets to further combat HIV. This means that the goal is for 95 per cent of all those affected to be aware of their infection, 95 per cent of them to have access to life-saving antiviral therapy (ART) and 95 per cent of them to have a viral load below the detection threshold. With this level of education and treatment, the HI virus could be defeated. In some countries, the goals have already been achieved, others are on the way. However, there is a fundamental difference between countries in the global North and those in the global South, where access to medical care is still poorer and the social stigmatisation of those affected is greater.
While countries such as Botswana, Rwanda and Zimbabwe have already achieved the 95-95-95 targets, the number of infections is rising in parts of Asia, Eastern Europe and the Middle East. This is also due to discriminatory laws such as those against same-sex relationships.
Stigmatisation and misinformation or an outdated image of HIV are still widespread in Western societies and hinder a more successful fight against the virus.
Awareness, political will and sufficient financial resources
A lot has already been achieved between 2010 and 2022: So the number of infected people receiving ART almost quadrupled from 7.7 to 29.8 million people in these twelve years. Further efforts (including financial ones) are needed to make antiviral therapy accessible to even more people. Urgently needed educational work also costs money, but can have a decisive influence on the further containment of the virus. Around 29 million dollars should be invested in the fight against AIDS every year. Last year, however, only 20.8 million dollars were invested. This shows that how quickly Aids can be defeated also depends on political will. Winnie Byanyima, the Executive Director of UNAIDS, says that politicians can create a monument for themselves by being remembered by future generations as the ones who ended the world's deadliest pandemic.
Cover photo: Kim7/Shutterstock
Science editor and biologist. I love animals and am fascinated by plants, their abilities and everything you can do with them. That's why my favourite place is always outside - somewhere in nature, preferably in my wild garden.