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This year's theme is "Equalize" on 1 December World AIDS Day, which has been celebrated to raise awareness against HIV and AIDS since 1988. In order to summarize the general situation regarding the current state of the disease, an evaluation covering the world and Turkey has been published.

*** This release is originally published in Turkish.

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This year's theme of World AIDS Day, which has been celebrated on December 1st since 1988 to raise awareness about HIV/AIDS and to show international solidarity against the disease, was determined as "Equalize". The World Health Organization (WHO) called on global leaders and individuals to address the inequalities that hinder progress in ending AIDS, noting equal access for all to services such as HIV prevention and treatment. With the aim of examining together the statistics published on HIV and AIDS and making a descriptive analysis of the data announced by the authorities, ECONiX Research, which is headquartered in Turkey, with offices in Estonia and Tunisia, shared its report containing the latest updates on AIDS in Turkey and in the world, prepared with the scientific support of the Rational Medicines Association. While it was stated in the report that 38.4 million people worldwide were living with HIV in 2021, it was pointed out that the viral suppression of 92% of the people treated showed the effectiveness of the treatment.

President of the Rational Medicine Association Prof. Dr. İsmail Balık said, “United Nations data shows that AIDS-related deaths have decreased by 68% since its peak in 2004 and by 52% since 2010. It is seen that 18.6 million lives were saved between 2000-2021 under antiretroviral (ART) treatment. With the effectiveness of treatments so clear, it is important to raise awareness about the virus.”

AIDS cases in Turkey will increase by 113.09% by 2030

The report of ECONiX Research also included data from the Ministry of Health. In this context, it was seen that there were 30,293 HIV (+) people and 2,083 AIDS cases from 1985 to 31 December 2021, whose confirmation test was positive and reported. It was stated that 81.2% of the cases were male and 18.8% were female, while the age groups with the highest number of cases were 25-29 and 30-34. Pointing out that there was a decrease in the number of new cases in 2020 and 2021 during the pandemic period, ECONiX Research Management Team Member Dr. Güvenç Koçkaya stated, “It is possible to say that the new HIV and AIDS cases, which were 3.002 in total in 2021, will enter an increasing trend again after the effect of the pandemic passes and the number of HIV/AIDS patients may increase by 113.09% and reach 74,227 by 2030. From 1985 to 2022, the total number of deaths due to HIV/AIDS in Turkey was 598. The estimation results predict that the annual number of HIV/AIDS deaths could reach 100 and the total death toll could reach 1,256 by 2030. On the other hand, based on the literature data, we predict that the total health resource utilization costs, including the expenditures for ART treatment, will reach 15.4 billion TL in 2030, increasing 14.7 times the current costs. In this sense, it is important to talk more about preventive measures and to increase awareness about the disease at a mass level.”

“There are big gaps in the financing of prevention programs”

In the ECONiX study, which used data from open sources such as the United Nations and the World Bank, it was noted that it is estimated that 75% of people living with HIV worldwide are receiving treatment, and that there is a gap of 5.9 million to reach the targets in this regard. It was stated that only 52% of children living with HIV had access to life-saving drugs. Stating that UN projections show that in order to end AIDS, a global public health threat, by 2025, $29 billion will be needed for AIDS response in low- and middle-income countries. 

Güvenç Koçkaya concluded: “Although donation commitments to prevent HIV have improved in recent years, large gaps remain in the financing of HIV prevention programs among country income groups. Data reported by 86 low- and middle-income countries show that in 2021, an average of 8% of total HIV spending is devoted to prevention programs. This share should increase to 33% by 2025. As ECONiX Research, which was established in Turkey and operates with offices in Estonia and Tunisia today, we aim to contribute to awareness of diseases affecting the whole world with our research that we think will contribute to the literature. We will continue to provide comprehensive insights into the healthcare market with reports like these.”