Developing ARVs and early diagnosis vital to keep fight against HIV/AIDS in full swing
Developing new front-line antiretroviral (ARV) drugs and using technology for early diagnosis are among key steps needed to sustain momentum in fighting HIV/AIDS and ending the disease as a public health threat by 2030, UNAIDS said in a report on Monday. The UN AIDS agency said that by June, about 20.9-million people were receiving life-prolonging ARV treatment, with rapid progress seen over the last five years when the numbers of people accessing medication nearly doubled. "The pace of scale-up has been particularly remarkable in Eastern and Southern Africa, the region most affected by the epidemic," said the Right to Health report, released in Khayelitsha near Cape Town. The number of people on treatment in the region surpassed all other regions combined in 2010 and presently accounts for 60% of all people on treatment. SA led the world with the number of people on treatment, at 4.2-million, followed by India, Mozambique and Kenya. UNAIDS said the worldwide expansion of ARV therap...
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