New insights from IeDEA and COHERE on global trends in CD4 counts at ART initiation

In 2000, the inextricable link between HIV/AIDS, poverty, and the development of whole nations was recognized in the Millennium Development Goals. Since then, the international community has invested considerable efforts and resources into combating the global HIV/AIDS epidemic, resulting in the reduction of new HIV infections by an estimated 40% by 2013. Underwriting this enormous progress was the scale-up of HIV services and the global roll-out of combination antiretroviral therapy (ART). To capitalize on the gains made in the previous years, the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS unveiled its 90-90-90 strategic plan in 2014. The aim of this ambitious global agenda was for 90% of all HIV-infected people to know their HIV status, 90% of those infected to be on effective ART, and 90% of those on treatment to achieve virologic suppression by the year 2020. With the year 2020 fast approaching, how far have we come toward realistically achieving the targets?