Report Shows a Big Drop in New HIV Infections
A new report from UNAIDS indicates that the rate of new HIV infections has dropped significantly over the past decade. The report estimated 2.3 million adults and children were newly infected with HIV in 2012, a figure that represents a 33 percent reduction in annual new cases compared to 2001.
The report says the most striking results in combating HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, are to be found among children, for which the number of new HIV infections has been cut by 52 percent since 2001.
Mahesh Mahalingam is the Director of the Office of the Deputy Executive Director of UNAIDS. He said a major element of this progress is that many more pregnant women who are living with HIV are receiving medication that prevents transmission of the disease from mother to child.