A report released by the United Nations on July 20 says AIDS claimed the lives of 1 million people in 2016, a decline of nearly 50 percent from the 2005 toll that marked the peak of the deadly epidemic.
Meanwhile, AIDS-related deaths have increased in Eastern Europe and Central Asia and in the Middle East and North Africa, according to the report by the UNAIDS agency.
The report notes that worldwide, AIDS-related deaths have fallen from 1.9 million in 2005 to one million in 2016.
In addition, the share of people with HIV who have access to medical treatment has risen above 50 per cent for the first time, according to data in the report.
“In 2016, 19.5 million of the 36.7 million people living with HIV had access to treatment,” the UNAIDS report said.
However, the report said that AIDS-related deaths have risen by 48 percent in the Middle East and North Africa and by 38 percent in Eastern Europe and Central Asia.
People who inject drugs accounted for 42 percent of new HIV infections in Eastern Europe and Central Asia, the report said.
According to the report, 1300 new HIV infections were registered in Tajikistan last year.
1000 AIDS-related deaths were registered in Tajikistan last year, 50 percent increase compared to 2010 (500 AIDS-related cases were reported in 2010), and 80 percent increase compared to 2005, when 200 AIDS-related case were registered in the country.
In Russia, newly registered cases of HIV reportedly increased by 75 percent between 2010 and 2016.
