The South African country of Lesotho is on track to achieve epidemic control of HIV by 2020, according to data released Tuesday by the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief.
The results from population-based HIV impact assessments conducted by the CDC in Lesotho suggests HIV viral load suppression — an essential marker of the body successfully controlling the virus — is more than 67 percent for all HIV-positive adults ages 15 to 59 years. These results indicate the likelihood of epidemic control in the next few years and build on similar assessment results reported in the last nine months for Malawi, Swaziland, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
"CDC is so pleased to contribute to the global HIV response, working with ministries of health and other partners on science-based solutions that are transforming some of the world's most severe HIV epidemics," said Brenda Fitzgerald, MD, director of the CDC.
Through PEPFAR, the CDC has provided life-saving antiretroviral treatment to 7.7 million people globally as of 2014.
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