The global HIV/AIDS burden has decreased significantly in the last 10 years. New HIV infections have been reduced by 23% since 2010 according to the Global AIDS Update 2020 report, and HIV-related deaths have fallen even more.
However, much of this amazing progress risks being blown apart by the COVID-19 pandemic, which ravages global health systems and deepens inequality in access to care and treatment. As we mark World AIDS Day 2020 we should recall that HIV continues to be a major global public health issue, with 1.7 million people newly infected and 38 million people living with HIV in 2019. The COVID-19 pandemic has catalysed an unprecedented unity and cooperation towards vaccine development and delivered promising vaccine candidates in record time. “We should learn from the concerted effort to develop COVID-19 vaccine candidates to shape and reinvigorate the global efforts to develop an HIV/AIDS vaccine”, says Ole Olesen, Executive Director of EVI.
As a pioneer in collaborative research, EVI remains highly committed to harnessing the power of cooperation and strategic partnerships to spearhead the development of new, safe, efficient and affordable vaccines for global health.