A study published on the 25th in the journal The Lancet HIV indicates that global HIV infection rates and related mortality have significantly decreased. The data shows that from 2010 to 2021, the number of new HIV infections worldwide dropped by nearly 22%, while AIDS-related deaths fell by almost 40%.
This research was conducted by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington, surveying 204 countries and regions around the world. The study found that from 2010 to 2021, the number of new HIV infections decreased from 2.11 million to 1.65 million, a reduction of 21.9%. AIDS-related deaths dropped from 1.19 million to 718,000, representing a decline of 39.7%.
The study reveals that sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia experienced the largest declines in HIV incidence and mortality. Between 2010 and 2021, the incidence of HIV in sub-Saharan Africa decreased by 35%, with mortality dropping by 43.2%; in South Asia, incidence fell by 35.4%, and mortality declined by 61.6%.
As World AIDS Day approaches on December 1, researchers told Le Monde that the findings demonstrate significant progress in the global fight against AIDS, but there is still a considerable gap to close in reaching the United Nations' goal of ending the AIDS epidemic by 2030.