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Cases of new HIV infections rise in Kenya – report

“New infections of HIV fell by an average of only 0.7 per cent per year between 2005 and 2015, compared to the 2.7 per cent drop per year between 1997 and 2005,” the study stated.

“If this trend of stubbornly high new infections continues, there will be significant challenges in meeting the UN’s Sustainable Development Goal for the world to witness the end of AIDS in less than 15 years,” said Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) Director Christopher Murray.

“Everyone in population health – researchers, policymakers, practitioners, pharmaceutical companies, advocates, and others – needs to understand that even if more people are living with HIV, we cannot end AIDS without stopping new infections,” said Murray.

“The continuing high rate of over 2 million new HIV infections represents a collective failure which must be addressed through intensified prevention efforts and continued investment in HIV vaccine research,” he said.

In contrast to the overall slow decline in new infections, the number of people living with HIV has significantly increased globally, largely due to the expansion of antiretroviral therapy.

IHME estimates there were about 39 million people globally living with HIV in 2015, as compared to 28 million in 2000.

In 2015, 41 per cent of the people living with HIV were using ART, as compared to less than 2 per cent in 2000.

“We’re keeping people alive longer, and these numbers should give those using antiretroviral therapies considerable hope,” said IHME Associate Professor Haidong Wang who is also the lead author on the study.

Such improvement, however, is still far away from the ambitious 90-90-90 goals set by the global community for the year 2020.

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