HIV, viral hepatitis and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) collectively cause about 2.5 million deaths and 1.2 million cases of cancer every year, according to a new report from the World Health Organization (WHO). ).
The report, released Tuesday found that STI case reports are rising in many regions and that new HIV and viral hepatitis infections are not declining fast enough. Four curable STIs – syphilis, gonorrhea, chlamydia and trichomoniasis – are responsible for more than 1 million infections per day. Hepatitis-related deaths also increased from 1.1 million in 2019 to 1.3 million in 2022.
The WHO concluded that “the global response is currently off track” to meet 2025 targets for reducing new infections and decreasing mortality from disease.
The goals were set in 2022 with the goal of ending AIDS and the viral hepatitis and STI epidemics through 2030. Tuesday’s report is the first in a series of biannual reports on progress in meeting these goals. One of the goals is for there to be less than 1.5 million new cases of HIV and viral hepatitis per year by 2025 and less than 500,000 by 2030. In 2022, the latest data available, there were 3.5 million new cases per year.
WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in the report that the global targets for 2025 and 2030 will not be achieved “unless we have a significant acceleration of focus and effort.”
“HIV, viral hepatitis and sexually transmitted infections continue to represent a major global health challenge,” said the director-general in the report. “We have the tools we need to end these epidemics that pose threats to public health by 2030 – we now need to ensure that, in the context of increasingly complex global challenges, countries do everything they can to achieve the ambitious goals they aspire to.” .”
See more information: One million new STIs are contracted every day, says WHO
Many countries have reported increases in congenital and adult syphilis cases following the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the new report.
New HIV infections decreased from 1.5 million in 2020 to 1.3 million in 2022, the report concluded. But it noted that certain population groups — men who have sex with men, people who inject drugs, sex workers, transgender people and people in prison — still face an increased risk of infection compared to the general population. HIV-related deaths are also still high – in 2022, there were around 630,000 HIV-related deaths, 13% of which were children under the age of 15.
Still, the WHO noted in the report that countries’ efforts to expand health services have led to significant progress. The WHO has validated 19 countries for the elimination of vertical transmission of HIV and/or syphilis. WHO also certified two countries in the African Region—Botswana It is Namibia—for being on the path to eliminating mother-to-child transmission of HIV.
More than 75% of people living with HIV worldwide are receiving antiretroviral therapy and 93% of people receiving treatment have suppressed viral loads, the report concluded.
The WHO made several recommendations in the report, including that countries work to address stigma and discrimination in health care settings against populations most affected by HIV, viral hepatitis and STIs, and that countries strengthen their focus on primary prevention. .
This story originally appeared on Time.com read the full story
