AIDS claimed a Million lives in 2016: UN

HIV

Paris: According to a UN report, a million lives were taken by AIDS in the year of 2016. This amounts to almost half the 2005 toll that marked the peak of the deadly epidemic, said a UN report on Thursday proclaiming “the scales have tipped”.

It has been pointed out that new HIV infections as well as death caused by it have declined, along with more patients going through life saving treatments

“In 2016, 19.5 million of the 36.7 million people living with HIV had access to treatment,” said the UNAIDS global roundup.

The year 2016 saw 1.8 million new infections, almost half the record number of some 3.5 million in 1997, said the report.

The epidemic which began its curse in the 1980s, has infect 76.1 million people in total, killing 35 million of them.

“Communities and families are thriving as AIDS is being pushed back,” said UNAIDS executive director Michel Sidibe. “As we bring the epidemic under control, health outcomes are improving and nations are becoming stronger.”

Till now, no vaccine or permanent cure has been discovered for HIV. -AFP