UN: Fewer people dying of AIDS but challenges remain

Fewer people are dying because of AIDS but the challenges remain, said Joseph Deiss, President of the United Nations General Assembly (UN-GA) on Wednesday.

In a statement issued on December 1, World AIDS day, Deiss said the increase in HIV treatments has helped lessen the number of people dying because of AIDS.

Deiss said prevention efforts are paying off but the gains are fragile because many challenges still remain such as:
# the lack of access of millions of people to anti-retroviral treatment;

# the rate of new infections outnumbers those newly accessing treatment;

# gender inequality and violence against women remain, making women and girls vulnerable to HIV infection.

AIDS or acquired immune deficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).

AIDS reduces the effectiveness of a person’s immune system and makes them susceptible to opportunistic infections and tumors.

HIV is transmitted through direct contact of a mucous membrane or the bloodstream with an HIV-infected bodily fluid such as blood, semen, vaginal fluid, preseminal fluid, and breast milk.

The transmission of the disease can involve:
# anal, vaginal or oral sex, blood transfusion;
# use of contaminated hypodermic needles;
# exchange between an HIV-infected mother and baby during pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding, or
# other exposure to HIV-infected bodily fluids.

Deiss said “there is no room for complacency and we must do more and better to ultimately reverse the epidemic.”

He said the theme of this year’s World AIDS Day is universal access and human rights, a reminder that “this is the right of every person – regardless of gender, age, legal or social status – to have access to services they need for HIV prevention, treatment, care and support.”

“Women and children, young people, migrants, sex workers, people who use drugs, men who have sex with men and transgender persons should not be excluded,” he added.

He noted that in June 2011, world leaders will gather for the UN-GA “to review progress made in fighting the epidemic.”

He also called on the international community to “renew political commitment to stop the epidemic.” – VVP, GMANews.TV