Incredible progress has been made in the fight against HIV and AIDS since the peak of the epidemic in 2004. But we need to keep up the momentum to tackle new challenges like drug resistance and reach key and vulnerable groups like children that are being left behind.
39 million
Worldwide, 39 million people are living with HIV – nearly one fourth do not access treatment
1.3 million
Each year, 1.3 million people contract HIV
3 times
Young women aged 15-24 in sub-Saharan Africa are 3 times more likely to acquire HIV than their male peers
6 minutes
A child dies of an AIDS-related illness every six minutes
Key and vulnerable populations need better access to treatment and tools to protect themselves. Every week, more than 4,000 adolescent girls and young women become newly infected. Only half of children with HIV receive a timely diagnosis and are on treatment, compared with three-quarters of adults.
Fear of stigma and discrimination and challenges accessing testing remain key factors behind low testing rates in many communities.
New HIV treatments can take up to 10 years to reach people in low- and middle-income countries. Game-changing health products are often too expensive for people who need them most.
Coinfections like tuberculosis, cryptococcal meningitis and hepatitis C are prevalent in people with advanced HIV disease and can cause severe illness or death. TB is the main cause of death among people living with HIV. Women with HIV are six times more likely to develop cervical cancer.
Dolutegravir is a game-changing medicine for managing HIV infection, used in leading combination treatment regimens.
Child-adapted formulations ensure even very young children can access effective HIV treatment.
From once-daily pills to long-acting injections, these tools help prevent HIV transmission.
So more people can know their HIV status, and gain access to treatment or prevention.
We work with a broad range of partners – researchers, manufacturers, governments, donors, regional and global health partners and affected communities – to identify, invest in, and then take to scale promising new technologies and strategies for prevention, diagnosis and treatment of HIV and coinfections.
People living with HIV are at greater risk of contracting – and suffering the worst outcomes from – a number of opportunistic infections. Learn more about how we’re tackling these convergent health challenges.
