On behalf of IFARA, Fred Schaich spoke with Haidong Wang, Ph.D., about his study of the global HIV burden, which was presented at this year's International AIDS Conference. This analysis estimated incidence, prevalence and mortality due to HIV/AIDS from 1980 through 2015 in 195 countries. That period can be divided into three distinct phases, Wang explained: 1980 to 1997 saw an increase in both rates of new infections and mortality associated with HIV/AIDS; between 1997 and 2005 the number of people who newly acquired HIV decreased, but more people living with HIV died from the virus; since 2005, HIV/AIDS-related mortality rates have stagnated, but the annual rate of new infections has increased in many countries.
These figures show that more resources need to be devoted to lowering the number of new infections if UNAIDS and WHO goals are to be met, Wang said. In addition, an estimated 15 million people around the world must be on antiretroviral treatment within the next five years to meet global HIV targets. Wang's analysis is part of the Global Burden of Disease study, which provides figures on a variety of diseases and injuries to help policy makers make better decisions on allocating health resources around the world.
Watch the video to learn more:
About the panelist:
- Haidong Wang, Ph.D., Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington
The video above has been posted on TheBodyPRO.com with permission from our partners at the International Foundation for Alternative Research in AIDS (IFARA). Visit IFARA's website or YouTube channel to watch more video interviews from the conference, as well as earlier meetings.