Scales tip in fight against AIDS, 1 million lives lost in 2016, down 50% from 2006: UN report

New Delhi: A United Nations report has shown that one million people have died due to AIDS in 2016 globally - almost half the 2005 toll (1.9 million) that marked the peak of the deadly epidemic.

The UN report released on Thursday said that the scales have tipped in the fight against AIDS, with more than half of people infected with HIV now getting treatment and AIDS-related deaths almost halving since 2005.

According to data published ahead of an AIDS science conference opening in Paris on Sunday, not only are new HIV infections and deaths declining, but more people than ever are on life-saving treatment.

The UNAIDS agency, in its latest global report on the pandemic, which has killed around 35 million people worldwide since it began in the 1980s, said there were particularly encouraging signs in Africa, a continent ravaged by the disease.

The report said Eastern and southern Africa are leading the way, reducing new HIV infections by nearly 30 percent since 2010, and average life expectancy has increased by nearly 10 years from 2006 to 2016.

Africa, for example, average life expectancy increased by nearly 10 years from 2006 to 2016.

"Communities and families are thriving as AIDS is being pushed back," said UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibé. "As we bring the epidemic under control, health outcomes are improving and nations are becoming stronger."

Whereas Malawi, Mozambique, Uganda and Zimbabwe have gone further, cutting new HIV infections by 40 percent or more since 2010.

"We met the 2015 target of 15 million people on treatment and we are on track to double that number to 30 million and meet the 2020 target," said Sidibé. "We will continue to scale up to reach everyone in need ... leaving no one behind."

The report warned, however, that not all regions are making progress.

In the Middle East and North Africa, and in eastern Europe and central Asia, AIDS-related deaths have risen by 48 percent and 38 percent respectively, it said, mostly due to HIV-positive patients not getting access to treatment.

Provided that scale-up continues, this puts the world on track to reach the global target of 30 million people on treatment by 2020, UNAIDS report added.

(With Agency inputs)