On World AIDS day, the United Nations is warning complacency means it will miss targets aimed at reducing HIV infections and ending the global epidemic.
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In a new report, the UN Children's Agency UNICEF says goals for 2020 will not be met.
And if trends persist, there could be 3.5 million new HIV infections among adolescents by 2030.
The UN says sub-Saharan African remains the most challenging area for the virus.
Nick Harper reports from New York.
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TAKE VO
It's a problem that's not going away. On this World AIDS Day, UNICEF wants to reinforce the message that attention and prevention are still needed.
A new report from the UN Children's Agency shows it will not achieve three of its so-called super-fast-track targets by 2020:
- eliminating mother to children transmission
- reducing the number of new infections among adolescents
- and providing nearly 2.5 million children and young people with treatment
TAKE VO
The report also says that progress has slowed because the world's attention has moved elsewhere. Shaffiq Essajee is the Deputy Director of the HIV Section at UNICEF.
SOT - Shaffiq Essajee, Deputy Director, HIV Section UNICEF: "There is a lot of complacency that has settled in. We are victims perhaps of our own success. There is a problem both with the public sense of the state of the epidemic but also from donor governments and also funders who see this now as less of a global priority."
TAKE VO
A new report from the UN Children's Agency shows it will not achieve three of its so-called super-fast-track targets by 2020:
- eliminating mother to children transmission
- reducing the number of new infections among adolescents
- and providing nearly 2.5 million children and young people with treatment
TAKE VO
The report also says that progress has slowed because the world's attention has moved elsewhere. Shaffiq Essajee is the Deputy Director of the HIV Section at UNICEF.
SOT - Shaffiq Essajee, Deputy Director, HIV Section UNICEF: "There is a lot of complacency that has settled in. We are victims perhaps of our own success. There is a problem both with the public sense of the state of the epidemic but also from donor governments and also funders who see this now as less of a global priority."
TAKE VO
The area of greatest concern remains on the African continent.
SOT - Shaffiq Essajee, Deputy Director, HIV Section UNICEF: "Sub-Saharan Africa is the epicenter of the global AIDS epidemic. So any action we take there will have the greatest value in terms of reducing the numbers."
TAKE VO
SOT - Shaffiq Essajee, Deputy Director, HIV Section UNICEF: "Sub-Saharan Africa is the epicenter of the global AIDS epidemic. So any action we take there will have the greatest value in terms of reducing the numbers."
TAKE VO
Nine out of 10 HIV-positive women and children live in Sub-Saharan Africa, with the region also accounting for nine out of ten adolescent AIDS-related deaths.
And there is another area of concern. Data from UN AIDS shows that men are less likely to take an HIV test and access treatment. And therefore more likely to die of AIDS-related illnesses. Here's Simon Bland from UNAIDS.
SOT - Simon Bland, UNAIDS: "We need to understand that more deeply to really break transmission. And as new data comes available and we understand the context of HIV in these different contexts we are able to tailor our programs and responses to that. And what this report is saying we must not forget the particular cases of men and boys and have services that are tailored to their needs."
TAKE VO
And there is another area of concern. Data from UN AIDS shows that men are less likely to take an HIV test and access treatment. And therefore more likely to die of AIDS-related illnesses. Here's Simon Bland from UNAIDS.
SOT - Simon Bland, UNAIDS: "We need to understand that more deeply to really break transmission. And as new data comes available and we understand the context of HIV in these different contexts we are able to tailor our programs and responses to that. And what this report is saying we must not forget the particular cases of men and boys and have services that are tailored to their needs."
TAKE VO
But fears remain about the possibility of the U.S. government cutting $800 million dollars from AIDS funding. Advocacy groups warn the reduction would result in over four million deaths and 26 million new HIV infections in sub Saharan Africa over the next 15 years.
TAKE VO
TAKE VO
Even so, the UN believes there are still reasons to be optimistic. For the first time, globally, more than half of all HIV patients now have access to antiretroviral drugs.
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