Ten times more people in Africa are getting life-saving AIDS drugs than just three years ago, but still most get no treatment and the pandemic continues to spread, the World Health Organization (WHO) said Wednesday. A total of 1.04 million people in sub-Saharan Africa get the antiretroviral drugs that prevent pregnant women from passing the virus on to their babies, and help many people with the virus live normal lives. “We have reached just one-quarter of the people in need in low- and middle-income countries, and the number of those who need treatment will continue to grow. Our efforts to overcome the obstacles to treatment access must grow even faster,” WHO HIV/AIDS director Dr. Kevin DeCock told the 16th International AIDS Conference in Toronto, Canada. The obstacles include a lack of funding, not enough cooperation from countries involved, and locating the people with AIDS. The virus infects almost 39 million people globally, and the fatal and incurable virus has killed 25 million people since it was identified 25 years ago. Nearly all of people infected with AIDS live in the developing world. While there is no vaccine, more than 20 different drugs are available to help people with AIDS live relatively normal lives. Efforts by governments and non-governmental organizations have driven down the costs of the drugs and provided generic versions for poor countries.
