The head of the UN AIDS program has expressed cautious optimism that the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), which causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), will be overcome by 2030.
According to UNAIDS Managing Director Winnie Bianima, her agency is asking governments to focus on inequalities that prevent people from accessing the services they need. "If they can close these gaps for specific high-risk groups, we will be able to put an end to AIDS by 2030," she said.
Bianima called on countries to pursue the same political will in the fight against AIDS as against COVID-19, and called the fight against AIDS "an unfinished business."
Almost 40 years ago, on June 5, 1981, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention first reported a mysterious immunodeficiency disease. Since then, nearly 35 million people have died from AIDS complications.
