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At the United Nations General Assembly meeting seven years ago, countries agreed on a bold goal of eliminating AIDS by 2030. Since then, research on the disease has made remarkable progress and the death rate from AIDS has decreased significantly. But medical knowledge does not appear to be evenly distributed. An annual update of UNAIDS last week highlights that poverty and gender inequality remain obstacles to achieving the 2030 target. HIV patients from poor and marginalized communities are not only being left behind, They continue to be stigmatized. Skew against the most vulnerable is particularly high in parts of West Asia and large parts of Africa. The report highlights that although low- and middle-income countries have significantly increased their overall health budgets, their AIDS-related expenditures are largely dependent on external funds – and this is not enough.
There is no cure for AIDS, but there have been rambling reports of people being cured of HIV — the viral infection that leads to AIDS. Advances in medical science have made it possible for HIV patients to live long and healthy lives with very little chance of transmitting the virus. Globally, about 70 percent of people living with HIV will have suppressed viral loads in 2022. But the picture is complex because “hypermasculinity” prevents many heterosexual men from being tested for HIV or seeking treatment for it. At the same time, research has also shown that in many areas, female patients are less likely to receive optimal HIV treatment. UNAIDS data also highlights the need to reduce the gender disparity in access to medical care – 76 percent of male patients have a more benign form of the disease compared to 67 percent of women living with HIV. Humanity. The viral suppression rate among children is a very poor 46 percent. The report notes that there are still significant gaps in basic HIV prevention and support programs for adolescent girls and young women in most countries with a high HIV burden. Studies by the Global Alliance for HIV Prevention, for example, show that in sub-Saharan Africa, just over 40 percent of areas with high rates of HIV infection are covered by dedicated prevention programmes.
The report highlights that AIDS programs have succeeded most when they used a skillful combination of science communication, gender equality, public health advice, and community engagement. CSOs, for example, have played an important role in lowering the rate of HIV infection in India. But the country has also seen patient protests, including last year, over drug shortages. Like many other countries, India has to do in empowering the poor and marginalized patients.
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