The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV and AIDS, or UNAIDS, the main advocate for global action on the HIV/AIDS epidemic, has announced that its goal of treating 15 million people on life saving HIV treatment has been met nine months ahead of schedule. It also reported that the world AIDS targets of Millennium Development Goal (MDG) 6 is on track to end the AIDS epidemic by 2030 as part of the Sustainable Development Goals. new HIV infections have fallen by 35 per cent and AIDS related deaths by 41 per cent. A sand sculpture created by Indian sand artist Sudarshan Patnaik to create awareness about AIDS ahead of World AIDS Day on a beach in Puri, Odisha | Source: PTI

In Ethiopia, HIV infections dropped from 36,000 in 2000 to 4800 in 2014, 71 per cent reduction in AIDS-related deaths between the peak in 2005 and 2014


Between 2000 and 2014, the percentage of pregnant women living with HIV with access to antiretroviral therapy rose to 73 per cent and new HIV infections among children dropped by 58 per cent


In 2015, Cuba became the first country to be certified by the World Health Organization as having eliminated new HIV infections among children

A man suffering from Tuberculosis (TB) waits for his free treatment outside a medical centre in Assam | Source: Reuters

Prices of medicines for HIV decreased up to 99 per cent in 2014

In 2014, 40 per cent of all people living with HIV had access to antiretroviral therapy, a 22-fold increase over the past 14 years, In sub-Saharan Africa, 10.7 million people had access, 6.5 million (61 per cent) of whom were women


Since 2000, an estimated US$ 187 billion has been invested in the AIDS with the United States of America alone investing $59 billion


Average life expectancy in Zimbabwe rose from 44 per cent in 2000 to 60 per cent in 2014

A representational image | Source: Financial Express