People with HIV can live 55 years from the time the disease is detected.

(Baonghean) - In a new report on HIV, the United Nations said that today, people living with the virus can live nearly two decades longer than those diagnosed at the beginning of this century, thanks to ARV drugs.

People who are HIV-positive today are expected to live about 55 years after diagnosis – 19 years longer than those diagnosed in 2001, according to a report by the United Nations Programme on HIV and AIDS (UNAIDS).

Microscopic image of HIV. Photo: AP

UNAIDS said the falling cost of antiretroviral drugs, which has made treatment more accessible, was a major advance. The UN's goal is to provide 15 million people worldwide with ARVs by 2015. Approximately 700,000 people living with HIV were receiving treatment in 2000, the report said. "Reaching 15 million people on antiretroviral treatment is one of the greatest achievements in the history of global health," said Michel Sidibé, executive director of UNAIDS.

Since 1983, when HIV – the virus that causes AIDS – was discovered, activists, celebrities and politicians have waged a global campaign to combat the virus. But despite the rise in treatment effectiveness, experts have warned that Aids could return with a much greater prevalence if governments do not increase funding and expand access to drugs within the next five years.

The world must focus on prevention and control efforts in areas with high risk of infection, as well as eliminating legal and social discrimination, said Peter Piot, head of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (UK).

According to UNAIDS, between 34.3 million and 41.4 million people are living with HIV. The majority of the world's HIV-infected population is in Africa, with between 24 million and 28.7 million people living with HIV living in sub-Saharan Africa. However, AIDS-related deaths have decreased by 48% in sub-Saharan Africa since 2000.

Phuong Thao

(According to Theguardian July 14)