The Beginning of the End of AIDS

We are at a critical point in the global fight against AIDS The world has made incredible progress—more than 8 million people are now on life-saving treatment, up from just 100,000 in 2002—but we are a long way from declaring victory. There are still roughly 6 million people in need of treatment, and new HIV infections outpace those placed on treatment by nearly 2:1. 

New scientific data in 2011 helped change the debate on how we fight HIV, and leading scientists now believe it is possible to see the beginning of the end of AIDS within our lifetimes. Now more than ever, we must recommit ourselves to achieving specific goals by 2015 that will help us bend the curve of this pandemic: end mother-to-child transmission of HIV, provide treatment to 15 million people, and drastically reduce new HIV infections.

Though these goals are ambitious, they are all achievable if we have the broad support of donors, African governments, organizations, and the private sector. President Obama took a major first step on World AIDS Day 2011 by committing to bold new treatment and prevention targets. Now, we need other leaders from around the world to step up with resources, programs, and political will so that, together, we can make real progress toward this vision.