Cases of AIDS and HIV-linked deaths down 16% in four years

“Undetectable!” This was the word shouted by the HIV-positive people attending the ceremony marking the 30th year of fight against AIDS. They celebrate the fact that their viral load has reached levels undetectable by laboratory tests as a result of antiretroviral treatment.

Official figures released Tuesday (Nov. 27)  show a 16 percent reduction in the number of cases of AIDS and HIV-related deaths in the last four years. Factors such as guaranteed treatment for all, improved diagnoses, greater access to testing, and a shorter delay between diagnosis and treatment were key to making the reduction possible.

HIV/AIDS test - Arquivo/Agência Brasil

The data reveal that 926,742 cases of AIDS were identified in Brazil from 1980 to June 2018—40 thousand new cases a year. In 2012, the detection rate for AIDS was 21.7 cases for every 100 thousand people, against 18.3 in 2017.

In the same time span, the rate of deaths due to AIDS went from 5.7 to 4.8 for every hundred people. The report also shows a significant decline in vertical HIV transmission (babies being infected through their mothers) from 2007 to 2017. The rate dropped 43 percent, going from 3.5 to 2 cases for every 100 thousand.