Crypto News: Africa celebrates HIV progress

Hi, it's Janice in Johannesburg, where on the continent it often feels like there's little good infectious disease news. When there is, we should celebrate it. But first...

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You wouldn't be mistaken for linking the worst of the HIV pandemic with Africa — two-thirds of global cases are on the continent. But there's a shift underway.

Most new HIV infections last year were for the first time in countries outside sub-Saharan Africa. It's an important switch largely because it shows what can be done with concerted and sustained efforts.

The number of new infections in eastern and southern Africa fell 57% from 2010 through 2022, according to a recently released UNAIDS report. That compares to a 38% drop globally.

While this is great news for sub-Saharan Africa, the obvious question is where are new HIV cases rising more rapidly? The answer: Eastern Europe, central Asia, Latin America, the Middle East and North Africa.

The findings partly reflect the increased risks and inequity of care in these other regions, says Vindi Singh, senior disease adviser for HIV at The Global Fund.

One of the reasons for the rise in some countries outside of Africa is a failure to protect human rights, she says. Key populations – including men who have sex with men, trans and gender-diverse people, sex workers, and people who inject drugs – represent 55% of new HIV infections. For example, where LGBTQ rights have been tossed aside or even criminalized, people are pushed away from the services they need.

"That's sort of the crux of where we've landed," Singh says. "It's an ongoing battle, especially in the context of decreased funding."

Resources were at their lowest level in at least 10 years, according to the report. Many low-income countries are gasping under mounting debt burdens, which in turn squeezes domestic health spending.

About a decade ago, global leaders agreed to end AIDS — a severe outcome of HIV infection that usually occurs when it's untreated — as a public health threat by 2030. Still, the numbers are huge, despite big reductions in new infections and deaths in the last 12 years. There were 1.3 million new HIV infections in 2022 and 630,000 AIDS-related deaths. About 84,000 of those were children.

Even in sub-Saharan Africa, the struggle is far from over. But there's evidence that the tide is turning. — Janice Kew

It's not an HIV vaccine, but it's pretty close. The timing is being questioned, Bloomberg News reports.

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