iStock/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) — Deaths linked to AIDS have dropped by half in the past decade, according to a new report.
The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS said deaths had fallen from a peak of 1.9 million in 2005 to 1 million in 2016, according to the BBC.
The report stated that more than half of people who are affected by AIDS, which is caused by HIV, have been getting treatment for the first time. Eastern and southern Africa have led the way in terms of lowering the number of new HIV infections, according to the report.
If left unmanaged, the HIV infection destroys the immune system, causing individuals to die from other infections such as tuberculosis, according to the BBC. While it can be contained with a daily regimen of antiretroviral therapy, there is no cure.
“We met the 2015 target of 15 million people on treatment, and we are on track to double that number to 30 million and meet the 2020 target,” UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibé told the BBC.
“We will continue to scale up to reach everyone in need and honor our commitment of leaving no one behind.”
More than 36 million people are living with HIV/AIDS, and 53 percent of them are getting the necessary therapy, which gives them a life expectancy closer to normal, according to the BBC.
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