Report also calls for increased efforts needed to reach the 9.4 million people living with HIV who are not aware they have the virus and the estimated 19.4 million people who do not have suppressed viral loads

ABIDJAN/GENEVA, 22 November 2018—A new report from UNAIDS shows that intensified HIV testing and treatment efforts are reaching more people living with HIV. In 2017, three quarters of people living with HIV (75%) knew their HIV status compared to just two thirds (67%) in 2015 and 21.7 million people living with HIV (59%) had access to antiretroviral treatment, up from 17.2 million in 2015. The report shows however, that 9.4 million people living with HIV do not know they have the virus and urgently need to be linked to HIV testing and treatment services.

The report, Knowledge is power, reveals that although the number of people living with HIV who are virally suppressed has risen by around 10% in the last three years, reaching 47% in 2017, 19.4 million people living with HIV still do not have suppressed viral loads. To remain healthy and to prevent transmission, the virus needs to be suppressed to undetectable or very low levels through sustained antiretroviral therapy. And to effectively monitor viral load, people living with HIV need access to viral load testing every 12 months.

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