03/14/2023 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 03/14/2023 10:00
The U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) has transformed the global HIV epidemic and strengthened global health security
Embargoed Until: Tuesday, March 14, 2023, 12:00 p.m. ET
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A new analysis from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reveals that the number of people receiving lifesaving HIV treatment through PEPFAR has increased 300 times in under 20 years, from 2004 to 2022. The number of people receiving HIV antiretroviral therapy (ART) through PEPFAR increased from just 66,500 individuals in 2004, the year after PEPFAR was launched, to more than 20 million people in 2022. These findings are published in today's Vital Signsreport.
The percentage of people receiving HIV treatment through PEPFAR with a viral load test who subsequently tested as virally suppressed also increased from 80 percent to 95 percent between 2015 and 2022, the report notes. Viral suppression refers to people living with HIV who have their virus under control, thanks to treatment. This can prevent transmission of HIV to sexual partners and helps reduce the risk of transmission from mothers to children.
Number of people globally
2004: 66,500
2022: 20 million
300 times increase from 2004 to 2022
"PEPFAR's efforts have dramatically altered the course of the global HIV epidemic," said CDC Chief Medical Officer Debra Houry, M.D., M.P.H. "We must continue to build on this momentum if we are to eliminate HIV as a global public health threat by 2030. These investments are saving lives and creating a safer world for us all."
As a key implementing agency of PEPFAR, CDC works side-by-side with partners on the ground in more than 50 countries to improve methods for finding, treating, and preventing HIV. CDC supports more than 10,000 labs or testing sites worldwide, providing lifesaving treatment to people with HIV around the world and designing and enhancing surveillance systems to enable countries to understand which geographic areas require urgent HIV-related services.
Researchers also analyzed findings from large CDC-supported household surveys in six African countries severely affected by HIV and found increases in population viral load suppression rates between 2015 and 2021. These surveys showed that viral load suppression rates among the population improved in Eswatini, Lesotho, Malawi, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. These increases in suppression rates ranged from a 13 percent increase in Lesotho to a 19 percent increase in Malawi.
Under PEPFAR's current five-year strategy, the United States aims to eliminate HIV as a global public health threat by 2030 while strengthening public health systems worldwide. The latest data in this Vital Signs report show that PEPFAR's programs are placing the world on the path to achieving this goal and validate that efforts over the past 20 years have transformed the global HIV epidemic.
The study also reveals that since its inception, PEPFAR's efforts have helped countries effectively respond to their HIV epidemics and strengthened their public health systems, which helps keep the world safe from other global health threats. As a key implementation agency of PEPFAR, CDC has played a critical role at each step:
Despite these tremendous achievements, several groups still lag behind-likely due to health inequities fueled by many factors, including stigma and discrimination.
More than four decades since the first cases were reported, HIV is still one of the leading causes of death and a health threat to millions worldwide. Significant gaps remain in global efforts to reach certain groups with critically needed HIV treatment and prevention services, including youth, men, and key populations.
To eliminate HIV as a public health threat by 2030, as outlined by PEPFAR's five-year strategy, the global health community must:
For more information about this report, go to https://www.cdc.gov/vitalsigns.
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U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
CDC works 24/7 protecting America's health, safety and security. Whether diseases start at home or abroad, are curable or preventable, chronic or acute, or from human activity or deliberate attack, CDC responds to America's most pressing health threats. CDC is headquartered in Atlanta and has experts located throughout the United States and the world.