African countries record 40% drop in deaths from HIV / AIDS

A 1000% increase in access to antiretroviral treatment has helped reduce the number of deaths and raise life expectancy of HIV-positive African countries. In general, rates of deaths from HIV / AIDS on the continent fell 40%.

The data in the report "Getting to Zero" was released, on Tuesday (30), the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV / AIDS, UNAIDS.

<b> Numbers </ b>

Between 2001 and 2011, more than 10 nations in the region could reduce deaths of adults living with HIV. The highest rates, about 50% were achieved by Botswana, Ethiopia, Malawi, Namibia, Rwanda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

Already Mozambique, Kenya, South Africa and Swaziland reported a drop in fatalities of 26% and 49%.

Angola, Lesotho and South Sudan are at the end of the list with a reduction of 5% to 25%. Already in Uganda and Tanzania, there was a slight increase in contamination.

<b> HIV-related TB </ b>

Another good news is a drop of almost 35% of deaths due to HIV-related tuberculosis. From 2005 to 2012, the number of people with access to treatment jumped from 625,000 to 6.3 million. Although coverage has exceeded 80% in countries such as Swaziland, Rwanda and Namibia, Angola and Mozambique continue to lower rates in this area (less than 60%).

According to the UNAIDS report, cases of new infections among adults aged 15 to 49 fell by more than 30%. Among children, there was a reduction of over 50%. Another positive step was to increase health services to prevent contamination vertical, from mother to babies, which reached almost 700 000 pregnant women, 100 000 more than in the previous year.

<b> Girls </ b>

According to UNAIDS, young women are the most affected by HIV. Only in 2011, were reported 450 000 new cases of infection with the AIDS virus. The prevalence among African 15-24 years is 4.5%, more than twice the rate of men in the same age group.

The report also includes guidelines published by WHO last month, recommending that people with HIV start antiretroviral therapy as soon as possible.

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