Leading Progress in Ending the Global HIV Epidemic

More than four decades since the first cases were reported, HIV is still a leading cause of death and a health threat to millions worldwide. While innovations in HIV care, treatment, and prevention now help people with HIV to enjoy longer, healthier lives, many people are not benefiting from the latest scientific advances, mainly due to stigma and discrimination. Strong partnerships, dedication to eliminating stigma and discrimination, and ensuring equitable access to quality, people-centered HIV services, remain central to sustaining progress and ending HIV as an epidemic. This requires the equitable use of effective treatment and prevention programs focusing on populations disproportionately impacted by HIV.

As a key implementing partner of the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), CDC works side-by-side with ministries of health, civil and faith-based organizations, private sector organizations, and other on-the-ground partners to improve methods for finding, treating, and preventing HIV. The investments made today in response to HIV will save lives, strengthen communities, and pave the way for long-term sustainability.

CDC By the Numbers

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Antiretroviral Treatment for Men, Women, and Children**

PEPFAR: 18.9 Million

CDC: 11.8 Million

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Voluntary Medical Male Circumcisions (VMMC)****

PEPFAR: 27.7 Million

CDC: 14.3 Million

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People Who Received a Positive HIV Test Result***

PEPFAR: 2.5 Million

CDC: 1.5 Million

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HIV-Positive Persons Screened in Care for TB***

PEPFAR: 15.5 Million

CDC: 9.5 Million

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Antiretroviral Treatment to Prevent Mother-to-child Transmission***

PEPFAR: 756,000

CDC: 481,000

Sources: U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR)

*Other USG agencies may have also contributed to some of these achievements **As of Sept 30, 2021 ***FY2021 ****Cumulative through Sept 30, 2021

Success Years in the Making

In July 2022, Botswana announced results from the Fifth Botswana AIDS Impact Survey (BAIS V), which showed the country achieved the UNAIDS HIV service target in 2021, four years before the 2025 target date. Read More

CDC Global HIV & TB Research at CROI 2023

The annual Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI) is being held from February 19-22, 2023, in Seattle, Washington. This conference brings together top basic, translational, and clinical researchers from around the world to highlight the most significant original research on HIV and related infectious diseases.

For 20 years, PEPFAR has led progress towards ending the HIV epidemic by supporting treatment and prevention efforts in more than 50 countries. As a leading implementer of PEPFAR, CDC has played a critical role, bringing its scientific and technical expertise to bear in the fight against HIV and leading cutting-edge research to advance the global HIV response.

This year, CDC’s global experts will present 17 poster abstracts at CROI, highlighting their latest work to accelerate global progress towards ending HIV. Key CDC research presented at CROI 2023 will include studies highlighting efforts to address critical gaps in reaching populations that continue to be left behind, including children and women. Several other CDC studies will highlight our work supporting country partners to expand the reach of lifesaving anti-retroviral therapy and TB preventive treatment to people living with HIV.

View the full list of CDC’s global HIV and TB research at CROI below.

DGHT CROI 2023 PRESENTATIONS

POSTER ABSTRACTS

Title	Presenter	Date
An Analysis of HIV Recent Infection Surveillance Data Among People in Malawi	Reno Stephens	20-Feb
Early Case Finding is Still Needed in the HIV Test and Treat Era to Prevent Mortality	Sasi Jonnalagadda	20-Feb
Factors Associated with Long COVID-19 in Zambia	Warren Malambo	20-Feb
High Viral Suppression Rates among PLHIV on Dolutegravir who had an Initial Episode of Viral Non-Suppression in Uganda	Grace Namayanja	20-Feb
Relative Gap in HIV Viral Load Suppression in Younger Children in Ethiopia	Dereje Woldehanna	20-Feb
Human Papilloma Virus Infection Prevalence Among Women Living with HIV (WHIV) in Five Regions of Ethiopia by Genotype	Fana Tefara	20-Feb
Programmatic Implications of National Recent HIV Infection Surveillance in Cambodia	Amitabh Suthar	20-Feb
Progress on UNAIDS 95-95-95 Targets Among Key Populations in Three Tanzania Regions	Tara Pinto	20-Feb
Progress Towards the Elimination of Cervical Cancer Among Women Living with HIV	Laura Viens	20-Feb
Proportion of Deaths Occurring Outside of Health Facilities Attributable to HIV/AIDS	Newton Kalata	20-Feb
Accelerating Tuberculosis Preventive Treatment Among Tanzanians Living with HIV	Alexander Kailembo	21-Feb
Factors Associated with HIV Positivity Unawareness Among Tanzanians Living with HIV	Alexander Kailembo	21-Feb
Mortality Risk Among Children 5 Years Old Living with HIV on ART	Nickolas Agathis	21-Feb
Relative Gap in HIV Viral Load Suppression in Younger Children in Ethiopia	Dereje Woldehanna	21-Feb
Emergency Response to Restore HIV Treatment Services, Amhara Region, Ethiopia, 2022	Chanie Temesgen	21-Feb

LATE BREAKERS

Title	Presenter	Date
Lower TB Incidence Among PWH After Preventive Treatment in High-Burden MDR TB Setting	Olutomi Sodeke	21-Feb
SARS-COV-2 Seroprevalence Trend Among Antenatal Care Attendees in Zambia, 2021-2022	Elizabeth Susan Heilmann	21-Feb
SARS-COV-2 Seroprevalence by HIV Status Among Pregnant Women in Zambia, 2021-2022	Elizabeth Susan Heilmann	21-Feb
COVID-19 Mortality Surveillance Among Community Deaths in Lusaka, Zambia, 2021	Jonas Hines	22-Feb

PEPFAR and CDC Investments Save Lives

A new CDC study shows the impact of a massive scale-up of PEPFAR-supported antiretroviral therapy (ART) in Uganda from 2004 – 2022 which helped avert nearly 500,000 HIV infections, including more than 230,000 infections among HIV-exposed infants, and almost 600,000 HIV-related deaths. The findings highlight the success of U.S. investments in Uganda founded on strong partnerships between PEPFAR, CDC, and Uganda Ministry of Health, and collaboration with multilateral partners. Read more

Tracking Impact

The Population-Based HIV Impact Assessments (PHIAs) surveys are an important tool for measuring the impact of HIV treatment and prevention programs in PEPFAR-supported countries. CDC and partners apply analytical insights from PHIAs to make timely adjustments to programs, leading to increased efficiencies and positive outcomes for community members, including people living with HIV. Learn more about PHIAs and the countries where surveys have been completed.

Latest Research

Latest research from CDC on global HIV and TB.

Scale-Up of HIV Antiretroviral Therapy and Estimation of Averted Infections and HIV-Related Deaths — Uganda, 2004–2022 | MMWR. This CDC study shows the impact of a massive scale-up of PEPFAR-supported antiretroviral therapy in Uganda from 2004 – 2022 which helped avert nearly 500,000 HIV infections, including more than 230,000 infections among HIV-exposed infants, and almost 600,000 HIV-related deaths. Read more
Defining the Global Research and Programmatic Agenda and Priority Actions for Voluntary Medical Male Circumcision for HIV Prevention. | SpringerLink. A review of progress made 15-years after implementation of voluntary medical male circumcision programs in 15 prioritized countries in Eastern and Southern Africa. Read more
Impact of the DREAMS Program on New HIV Diagnoses in Adolescent Girls and Young Women Attending Antenatal Care — Lesotho, 2015–2020 | MMWR (cdc.gov). Three and a half years after implementing the DREAMS (Determined, Resilient, Empowered, AIDS-Free, Mentored, and Safe) program, new HIV diagnoses among adolescent girls and young women attending antenatal care decreased 71.4% in two districts in Lesotho. Read more
Pediatric HIV Case Identification Across 22 PEPFAR-Supported Countries During the COVID-19 Pandemic, October 2019–September 2020 | MMWR (cdc.gov). Data from 22 countries supported by the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) during October 2019 – September 2020 show reduced pediatric HIV testing and diagnoses during the COVID-19 pandemic and successful strategies used to reduce these impacts and optimize pediatric HIV testing services. Read more
Lessons Learned from Programmatic Gains in HIV Service Delivery During the COVID-19 Pandemic — 41 PEPFAR-Supported Countries, 2020 | MMWR (cdc.gov). Analysis of PEPFAR data from 41 countries shows an overall increase in HIV treatment and viral load suppression during the early part of the COVID-19 pandemic. The report highlights factors that contributed to programmatic gains in HIV services. Read more
Geospatial Transmission Hotspots of Recent HIV Infection — Malawi, October 2019–March 2020 | MMWR (cdc.gov).
A novel HIV infection surveillance initiative was implemented in Malawi to collect data on recent HIV infections among new diagnoses to characterize the epidemic and guide the public health response. Read more

CDC’s Impact Around the Globe

Learn how CDC and partners are adapting services and expanding key treatment and prevention activities to end HIV.

Factsheets

An overview of CDC’s global efforts in response to one of the world’s greatest health threats.

CDC’s role in the global HIV response.

CDC’s fight against global HIV.

Addressing HIV in Children.

Saving Lives with DREAMS
With support PEPFAR, DREAMS is comprised of a comprehensive, multi-sectoral package of core interventions that address key factors that make adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) particularly vulnerable to HIV.

How PEPFAR-supported Countries Sustained HIV Services
Despite advancements over several decades in the global HIV response, the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic introduced new challenges and threatened hard-won gains.

Empowering Adolescents and Young People Living with HIV in Ethiopia
In 2020, about 1.75 million children and adolescents between the ages of 10 and 19 were living with HIV (C/ALHIV) worldwide (UNAIDS 2021).

Partnering to End the HIV/AIDS Epidemic Worldwide

CDC’s Dr. Minesh Shah, an internal medicine physician and a medical officer in the Division of Global HIV and Tuberculosis, and Matsepo Mary-Anna Dee Mphafi, an HIV peer counselor in Lesotho with the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation, discuss their inspiring work to fight HIV around the world as part of PEPFAR.