A new analysis from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reveals that the number of people receiving lifesaving HIV treatment through PEPFAR has increased 300 times in under 20 years, from 2004 to 2022. The number of people receiving HIV antiretroviral therapy (ART) through PEPFAR increased from just 66,500 individuals in 2004, the year after PEPFAR was launched, to more than 20 million people in 2022. These findings are published in a Vital Signs report.
The percentage of people receiving HIV treatment through PEPFAR with a viral load test who subsequently tested as virally suppressed also increased from 80 percent to 95 percent between 2015 and 2022, the report notes. Viral suppression refers to people living with HIV who have their virus under control, thanks to treatment. This can prevent transmission of HIV to sexual partners and helps reduce the risk of transmission from mothers to children.
