The number of new HIV infections globally has been reduced by 17 percent over the past eight years, according to a U.N. report released on Tuesday. There were 2.7 million new infections last year compared with 3.2 million new infections in 2001, but the number of people living with HIV is at its highest ever, the report from UNAIDS said, attributing the reduction in new infections to prevention programs and wider distribution of anti-retroviral drugs, which prevent mother-to-child transmission. “We cannot let this momentum wane. Now is the time to redouble our efforts, and save many more lives,” said Dr Margaret Chan, the director-general of the World Health Organization (WHO). There are more than 33 million people living with HIV around the world, the highest number ever, but this is due, in part, to better access to treatment leading to a decline in AIDS-related deaths, the report said. Some 2 million people died last year from HIV-related causes, with sub-Saharan Africa accounting for 1.4 million deaths alone. Sub-Saharan Africa also accounted for 71 percent of new infections last year and is still the region with the highest number of people living with HIV with almost 23 million cases.
