Subscribe free to our newsletters via your
. 24/7 Space News .




EPIDEMICS
AIDS epidemic's end by 2030 seen: UN official
by Staff Writers
Panama City (AFP) Sept 19, 2013


A top UN official said the global AIDS epidemic could be over by 2030 because of progress made in treatment and control of the disease.

"I think that 2030 is a viable target to say that we have reached the end of the epidemic," said Luis Loures, a deputy executive director of UNAIDS, the UN agency leading the fight against HIV/AIDS.

"HIV will continue existing as a case here or there but not at the epidemic level we have today," he told journalists late Wednesday.

Three million new HIV infections are reported each year and the disease, which attacks the immune system, kills 1.7 million people a year.

"We can get to the end of the epidemic because we have treatments and ways to control the infection," said Loures, who is in Panama to discuss AIDS strategy with UN agencies in Latin America. "We are making progress, without a doubt."

Two decades ago the average annual cost of treatment per person with HIV was $19,000 while today it is $150 thanks to generic drugs.

Moreover, people with HIV are getting treatment earlier, which retards the disease's development.

According to UNAIDS, the annual incidence of new infections has fallen 20 percent over the past decade, and in 25 countries, including 13 in sub-Saharan Africa, it has fallen by 50 percent.

Over the past two years, the number of people who have obtained treatment for HIV has increased by 60 percent.

"The challenge is now for the most vulnerable groups," like homosexual males, sex workers and drug users who do not seek treatment for fear of being stigmatized or criminally prosecuted, Loures said.

"If we do not succeed in controlling the epidemic among these groups, AIDS will stay with us," he warned.

At the end of 2011, there were 34 million people living with HIV, 69 percent of them in sub-Saharan Africa where one in 20 adults have the disease.

"Today, there are a number of cases where we have evidence of a cure and that gives us great hope," Loures said.

.


Related Links
Epidemics on Earth - Bird Flu, HIV/AIDS, Ebola






Comment on this article via your Facebook, Yahoo, AOL, Hotmail login.

Share this article via these popular social media networks
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit GoogleGoogle








EPIDEMICS
Effects of climate change on West Nile virus
Tucson AZ (SPX) Sep 13, 2013
The varied influence of climate change on temperature and precipitation may have an equally wide-ranging effect on the spread of West Nile virus, suggesting that public health efforts to control the virus will need to take a local rather than global perspective, according to a study published this week in the scientific journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. University of ... read more


EPIDEMICS
Chang'e-3 lunar probe sent to launch site

Sixteen Tons of Moondust

Scientists say water on moon may have originated on Earth

Moon landing mission to use "secret weapons"

EPIDEMICS
Explosive flooding said responsible for distinctive Mars terrain

Upgrade to Mars rovers could aid discovery on more distant worlds

Investigating 'Coal Island' Rock Outcrop

Terramechanics research aims to keep Mars rovers rolling

EPIDEMICS
Voyager's departure from the heliosphere

NASA study is enough to make a person want to stay in bed

Voyager 1 spacecraft reaches interstellar space

Q and A: John Richardson and John Belcher on Voyager 1's crossing and interstellar exploration

EPIDEMICS
Last Days for Tiangong

China civilian technology satellites put into use

China to launch lunar lander by end of year: media

China launches three experimental satellites

EPIDEMICS
ISS Orbit to Be Raised Ahead of Crew Arrival

ISS Releases a White Stork and Awaits a Swan

Three astronauts back on Earth from ISS: mission control

ISS Crew Completes Spacewalk Preps

EPIDEMICS
Decontamination continues at Baikonur after Proton abortive launc

Russia launches three communication satellites

Arianespace remains the global launch services leader

Russian space official denies report of problem in Soyuz return

EPIDEMICS
ESA selects SSTL to design Exoplanet satellite mission

Coldest Brown Dwarfs Blur Lines between Stars and Planets

NASA-funded Program Helps Amateur Astronomers Detect Alien Worlds

Observations strongly suggest distant super-Earth has water atmosphere

EPIDEMICS
Catalysts team up with textiles

Raytheon, Falck Schmidt unveil remotely operated long-range surveillance system

Banishing explosive sparks in underground mines

Yahoo Japan develops 3D search engine-printer




The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2014 - Space Media Network. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA Portal Reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement,agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. Privacy Statement