UNAIDS Press Release - December 1, 2005

Together, these two programmes provide more than 60% of the total donor funding to the AIDS response in developing countries.

Seen by many as impossible just two years ago, the number of people with access to treatment now continues to increase steadily. This represents real progress for the hundreds of thousands of people who will be able to return to normal, productive lives - having been saved from what was once a death sentence. As the 2005 AIDS Epidemic Update released last week highlights, because of the treatment scale-up over the past two years between 250 000 and 350 000 deaths were averted this year. President Bush's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, the Global Fund, and countless partners worldwide have done a great deal to make this significant step forward possible.

However, despite this good news, major challenges lie ahead. As a global community, we must sustain quality care for those currently receiving it and pick up our pace for making this lifeline available to the millions still in need. More than five million people will die in the next one to two years if they do not receive antiretroviral therapy (ART).

In early 2006, UNAIDS and WHO will issue a detailed report giving the latest estimates of the total number of people in low- and middle-income countries on ART. This data is still being collected and will include those efforts supported by President Bush's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief and the Global Fund.

Access to treatment does more than save the lives of those who receive it. It is also an effective opportunity to strengthen and expand prevention efforts, helping to stem the tide of new HIV infections. Without strong prevention programmes, we will never be able to provide good treatment to all of those who will need it.

***

For more information, please contact Phyllis Cuttino, UNAIDS Washington DC, tel. +1 703 533 7620, desantisd@unaids.org, Tunga Namjilsuren, WHO, Geneva, tel. +41 22 791 1073, email. namjilsurent@who.int For more information about UNAIDS, please visit www.unaids.org.

051201
UN051201

Copyright © 2005 - Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS). All rights reserved. UNAIDS articles, which are not formal publications of UNAIDS, may be freely reviewed, quoted, reproduced or translated, in part or in full, provided the source is acknowledged. The documents may not be sold or used in conjunction with commercial purposes without prior written approval from UNAIDS (contact: UNAIDS Information Centre).

AEGiS is a 501(c)3, not-for-profit, tax-exempt, educational corporation. AEGiS is made possible through unrestricted grants from Boehringer Ingelheim, Bridgestone/Firestone Charitable Trust, Bristol-Myers Squibb Company, Elton John AIDS Foundation, the National Library of Medicine, Roche and Trimeris, and donations from users like you. Always watch for outdated information. This article first appeared in 2005. This material is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between you and your doctor.

AEGiS presents published material, reprinted with permission and neither endorses nor opposes any material. All information contained on this website, including information relating to health conditions, products, and treatments, is for informational purposes only. It is often presented in summary or aggregate form. It is not meant to be a substitute for the advice provided by your own physician or other medical professionals. Always discuss treatment options with a doctor who specializes in treating HIV.

Copyright ©1980, 2005. AEGiS. All materials appearing on AEGiS are protected by copyright as a collective work or compilation under U.S. copyright and other laws and are the property of AEGiS, or the party credited as the provider of the content. .