In marking World AIDS Day, White House notes successes, future challenges

Dec. 1 (UPI) -- The White House on Friday reaffirmed its commitment to combating HIV/AIDS and cited past and ongoing progress on the 35th annual observance of World AIDS Day.

"The global community, including the U.S., is making progress toward eliminating HIV transmission, but we must accelerate these efforts," the White House said in a press release Friday. "In too many communities, barriers to comprehensive HIV prevention and treatment limit awareness, access, and engagement in HIV services by priority populations with or most at risk of HIV."

Despite recent medical advances, the White House noted that HIV-related criminalization, stigma, and discrimination "continue to undermine the effective use of tools to reduce HIV transmissions to our 2030 goals."

While noting that new HIV infection rates had dropped 17% between 2017 and 2021, the White House also reported other areas of progress. Among other advances in the fight on HIV/AIDS noted by the White House:

• Overall, in 2022, 36% of the 1.2 million people in the U.S. who could benefit from PrEP were prescribed the medication, compared to 23% in 2019. The White House noted, though, that significant racial/ethnic and gender disparities persist.
• Almost 90% of Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program clients receiving HIV medical care in 2022 reached viral suppression, much higher than the 69.5% in 2010.
• Over the course of its 20 years, PEPFAR saved 25 million lives and enabled 5.5 million babies to be born HIV-free to mothers living with HIV.Across 55 countries, PEPFAR supports lifesaving antiretroviral treatment for more than 20 million people.

The White House also noted that, during the past year, the administration of President Joe Biden has taken multiple actions to "accelerate" domestic HIV efforts, such as the release of the White House HIV/AIDS strategy Interim Action Report to ensure no population or region is left behind in efforts to fight HIV/AIDS.

And it also reminded that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services initiated the "Ending the HIV Epidemic" initiative in 2019 to provide targeted funds and resources to populations and regions with the greatest need.