ISLAMABAD: The latest UNAIDS report on the global AIDS epidemic has stated that Pakistan as a country reporting sharp increases in new HIV infections.
Titled as ‘Seizing the Moment,’ the 2020 report highlights the scale of the HIV epidemic and how it runs along the fault lines of inequalities The report draws attention to how urgent it is for countries to and act with greater urgency to reach the millions still left behind.
‘HIV infections in Asia and the Pacific have declined slightly, with reductions in Cambodia, Myanmar, Thailand and Viet Nam offset by sharp increases in Pakistan and the Philippines,” the report states.
According to the report, only 14 countries have achieved the 90–90–90 HIV treatment targets (90% of people living with HIV know their HIV status, of whom 90% are on antiretroviral treatment and of whom 90% are virally suppressed). “AIDS-related mortality rates are rising in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and the Philippines.”
“Late diagnosis and poor adherence to treatment are missed opportunities to prevent onward transmission and AIDS-related deaths. About half of key populations living with HIV are not aware of their HIV status, but assisted testing and self-testing could increase the rates of HIV diagnosis,” the report points out.
The report states that the 2020 targets of reducing AIDS-related deaths to fewer than 500,000 and new HIV infections to fewer than 500,000 will not be met because the achievements have not been shared equally within and between countries, and because Covid-19 risks have blown HIV progress way off-course.
Missed targets have resulted in 3.5 million more HIV infections and 820,000 more AIDS-related deaths since 2015 than if the world was on track to meet the 2020 targets. In addition, the response could be set back further, by 10 years or more, if the Covid-19 pandemic results in severe disruptions to HIV services.
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