More than 10,000 people will gather in Munich on Monday for the world’s largest annual conference on HIV and AIDS, which aims to exchange best practices and research findings.
The 25th International AIDS Conference brings together medical professionals, public health specialists, and activists from 175 countries to address the ongoing battle against HIV/AIDS, for which there are medicines but no known cure.
According to UN statistics, the number of deaths from AIDS has decreased by 69% from the peak in 2004 and by 51% since 2010.
Nevertheless, AIDS continues to claim one life every minute.
Infection rates have been rising in some areas, such as Eastern Europe; in Africa, they have not decreased despite notable advancements in recent years.
The virus affected about 40 million people globally in 2022.
Between 2010 and 2030, the UN wants to cut the number of new cases of AIDS-related infections and deaths by more than 90%. But the objective is in danger.
Experts bemoan the fact that the epidemic has fallen from the public health community’s attention, which has resulted in flattening or declining government financing for the HIV/AIDS epidemic.
Additionally, they claim that advancement is still threatened by stigmatization and discrimination against vulnerable and at-risk groups. These groups include transgender individuals, drug addicts who use syringes, and sex workers.
This is the first time the conference has been hosted in Germany since 1993, and it runs through Friday.
At 5:00 p.m. (1500 GMT), German Chancellor Olaf Scholz will give the introductory remarks.
On Monday, the UNAIDS program is also scheduled to announce updated infection and mortality statistics for 2023.
