AIDS Deaths Plummet In Africa
http://www.hivplusmag.com/case-studies/world-news/2013/05/21/aids-deaths-plummet-africa
A new report from UNAIDS shows that 7 million people are currently in HIV
treatment across Africa and the death toll from AIDS is falling rapidly. The
report was introduced this week at the 21st Annual African Union Summit in
Addis Ababa, Africa. The news also comes just in time to celebrate the 50th
anniversary of the African Union (AU), a consortium of all countries on the
continent.
Though activists say it's been a 10-year battle to get antiretroviral
treatments to the people that need them, since 2005, the number of people
who receive treatment has risen from under 500,000 to over 7 million people.
Today, Africa accounts for 69% of HIV infected people in the world and the
number of new HIV infections have dropped by a whopping 32%.
According to that same report, AU leadership has been essential in reversing
the epidemic and it’s because of strong leadership and understanding of
international responsibility that South Africa saw a 20% increase in the
number of people receiving therapy from 2011 to 2012. Sixteen other
countries in the AU also said that they had ensured that more than 75% of
pregnant women living with HIV in their countries were receiving
antiretroviral medicine to prevent transmission to their child.