Unparalleled global progress in HIV response but sustained investment vital

http://www.who.int/mediacentre/news/releases/2011/hiv_20111130/en/index.html

It is good to hear that global progress in both preventing and treating HIV emphasizes the benefits of sustaining investment in HIV/AIDS over the longer term.  According to WHO, UNICEF and UNAIDS, increased access to HIV services resulted in a 15% reduction of new infections over the past decade and a 22& decline in AIDS-related deaths in the last five years. However, it is too early to satisfy with the progress we had been achieved that there are still many things to be done. The reports from WHO shows that more than half of the people who need antiretroviral therapy in low- and middle-income countries are still unable to access to it and even bigger problem is that many of them do not even know they have HIV. Another issue is that progress for children is too slow. According to Director of the UNICEF office in Geneva, there had been gains in treatment, care and support available to adults but they notice that progress for children is slower. Among many age groups regarding the HIV issues, children are the most important group we need to pay attentions because children are the group who will live the longest with HIV for rest of their lives and that will cost money for many developing countries. It is good news that there had been an improvement in both preventing and treating HIV in last five years. However, without solving issues with people living in low-income countries where people do not even know if they have HIV and an issue regarding children HIV, we cannot really make any further progress.