On World AIDS Day the International AIDS Society (IAS) is calling on people everywhere to rally around the theme of “Unite to Reach All”.
IAS President Beatriz Grinsztejn said it was essential that people came together to ensure that no one is left behind in the global HIV response.
Grinsztejn said it was essential that barriers that stop people getting treatment or accessing prevention strategies are removed.
In her World AIDS Day video Grinsztejn said, “Our team underscores why we need to work together so that everyone has access to HIV prevention treatment and care.
“Key populations, such as men who have sex with men, sex workers, trans people, people in prisons and other closed settings, and people who use drugs, often face obstacles to using Health Services.
“These obstacles include stigma and criminalisation and new technologies are so slow to reach people in some of the most HIV affected regions on this world.” the IAS President said.
While Australia has made great progress towards in reducing the level of new transmissions of HIV, the same results have not been replicated on a global level. The introduction of PrEP treatments, a daily pill or monthly injection that protects people from acquiring HIV, have been credited with making a major impact on the levels of new cases in western countries.
The IAS highlights that in In 2023, around 5.4 million of the 39.9 million people living with HIV worldwide – one in seven – were not aware of their status.
At the same time, 9.3 million – nearly one in four – were not receiving life-saving treatment. With 7.5 million people having started pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) to date, the organisation warns that the world will not achieve the goal of 10 million PrEP initiations by 2025.
They also note that despite significant advancements in long-acting PrEP and treatment, these technologies are largely out of reach in low- and middle-income countries.
High drug prices, restrictive licensing and limited manufacturing capabilities are likely to hinder the rollout of the long-acting PrEP products, cabotegravir and lenacapavir, while long-acting HIV treatment becoming accessible in the hardest-hit regions is an even more distant prospect.
