World AIDS Day emphasizes action needed to achieve HIV/AIDS goal

Dec. 1 marks World AIDS Day, and “Leading with Science, Uniting for Action” is this year’s theme.

“Getting testing and treatment to those in need remains one of our greatest challenges,” Kathleen Squires, MD, immediate past president of the HIV Medicine Association, and chair of the division of infectious diseases at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia, said in a press release.

According to the CDC, The US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and other global efforts resulted in an estimated 6.6 million people in low-income and middle-income countries receiving antiretroviral therapy for HIV/AIDS at the end of 2010 — representing the largest annual increase in those accessing HIV treatment.

Despite these improvements, CDC officials estimate 50,000 people are infected with HIV every year, and approximately 1.2 million in the United States are living with HIV infection.

Squires said Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s recent call for an “AIDS-free generation” can be achieved with better testing, early diagnosis and increased access to care.

“Without full support of the National HIV/AIDS Strategy, including an investment in HIV care, prevention and research today, the toll on lives and health care costs will be much higher as infection rates climb and people with HIV without access to treatment become sicker,” Squires said. “The impact of the HIV epidemic on the US 30 years from now depends on our actions and investments today.”

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