According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), 5.2 million people worldwide are now receiving life saving treatment for HIV, compared to 4 million at the start of 2008. It is estimated that HIV-related mortality could be reduced by 20% between 2010 and 2015 if the WHO’s guidelines on early treatment are widely adopted.

“This is the largest increase in people accessing treatment in a single year. It is an extremely encouraging development,” says Dr Hiroki Nakatani, WHO Assistant Director-General for HIV, Tuberculosis, Malaria and Neglected Tropical Diseases.

“Starting treatment earlier gives us an opportunity to enable people living with HIV to stay healthier and live longer,” says Dr Gottfried Hirnschall, WHO Director of HIV/AIDS. “In addition to saving lives, earlier treatment also has prevention benefits,” he adds. “Because treatment reduces the level of virus in the body, it means HIV-positive people are less likely to pass the virus on to their partners.”

At the 18th International AIDS conference in Vienna last week, scientists and advocacy groups echoed the WHO’s call for early treatment for people with HIV. An important focus of the conference was the sharing of research on the development of an anti-HIV vaccine, which would be a major scientific breakthrough. Experts are optimistic that greater cooperation and pooling of resources by scientists around the globe will bring that discovery closer, but there remains widespread concern about insufficient funding for the research and treatment efforts needed.

Sources:

• WHO
• IPS - Inter Press Service