A 20% increase in the availability of anti-retroviral therapy medication between 2009 and 2010. That increase undoubtedly helped with providing appropriate drugs for more patients. However, the number of AIDS-related deaths in 2010 was an overwhelming 1.2 million. It is how to reduce that figure that appears to be the major challenge.

Clinics and treatment centers are more accessible for those who live in the larger towns and villages. Villagers from remote areas can spend hours and sometimes days traveling to and from a clinic. Apart from the fact that the patients may be too ill to travel, no transport and no money to pay for transportation or drugs are the insurmountable problems preventing them receiving medication that could keep them alive.

Education and awareness plays a large part in the prevention and treatment of HIV and AIDS. The major challenge facing UNAIDS and other organizations is in getting that education to the masses and in particular combating the stigma attached to the disease. Ignorance and fear are two of the biggest challenges that need to be conquered to help improve the take up of therapy.

Poverty is another huge challenge. In some clinics or centers patients have to pay for anti-viral drugs and treatments. If they are struggling to feed their family and survive from one day to the next, the therapy comes at the end of the line.

The future has to be about providing enough free and easily accessible treatment and drugs for those who need it. Workers must find ways of getting those anti-viral treatments to even the most remote areas for patients. Educating patients and the masses will hopefully bring about a change in attitude towards those suffering from HIV or AIDS. It is a massive project that will take years and will require a lot of funding.