Figures down according to a report published in 2020 by UN-AIDS.
They are between 470,000 – 540,000 people living with the AIDS virus in Cameroon according to data published by UN-AIDS in 2020. Even if between 2004 and 2020 the prevalence of HIV increased from 5.6% to 2.7% (according to the National Committee for the Fight against AIDS) among the population aged between 15 and 49, the pandemic nevertheless causes nearly 14,000 deaths in 2020, all ages combined.
The estimated number of new infections in 2020 is 15,000 compared to 17,000 cases recorded in 2019. UN figures indicate that 74% of people infected with the AIDS virus are on antiretroviral (ARV) treatment, which justifies the decrease in the mortality rate related to the disease (16,000 deaths estimated in 2019).
By 2023, the Ministry of Health in collaboration with the National Committee for the Fight against AIDS (CNLS) wants to reduce new infections by 60% and HIV-related mortality by 70%. To this end, Minister Manaouda Malachi has set new directions as part of the priority interventions to be carried out on the ground of the response. These include: increasing antiretroviral coverage among children, youth and adolescents; the promotion of self-testing as a complementary strategy to increase HIV serological knowledge; retention, care and treatment of people living with HIV in the context of COVID-19; reducing the incidence of HIV infection among girls between the ages of 15 and 24.
The theme of World AIDS Day on 1 December 2021 is: "Ending inequalities. Ending AIDS." To this end, WHO is calling on world leaders and citizens to mobilize to address the inequalities that cause AIDS and to reach people who currently lack essential HIV care services.
