Progress in Low- and Middle-Income Countries by Region

Access to antiretroviral therapy (ART) continues to expand at a rapid pace. More than 4 million people in low- and middle-income countries were accessing antiretroviral drugs at the end of 2008, up from about 3 million in 2007. The greatest gains were seen in sub-Saharan Africa, where two-thirds of all global HIV infections occur.

Sub-Saharan Africa

• An estimated 2.9 million people in sub-Saharan Africa received ART in 2008, compared to about 2.1 million in 2007 -- an increase of 39%.
• ART coverage in the region was 44% in 2008, compared to 33% in 2007. However, differences in coverage among sub regions continue to widen, with greater access (48%) seen in Eastern and Southern Africa than in Western and Central Africa (30%).
• Some 45% of HIV-positive pregnant women in the region received antiretroviral drugs to prevent HIV transmission to their children, up from 35% in 2007.
• Between 2007 and 2008, the estimated number of children in sub-Saharan Africa receiving antiretroviral therapy rose from 158 000 to 225 000. Total ART coverage among children in the region is about 35%.

Latin America and the Caribbean

• About 445 000 people were receiving ART in Latin America and the Caribbean in 2008, up from 390 000 in 2007, a 14% regional increase.
• ART coverage in the region was 54% in 2008, compared to 50% in 2007.
• In Latin America, the percentage of HIV-positive pregnant women who received antiretroviral drugs to prevent mother-to-child transmission rose from 47% to 54% between 2007 and 2008. The corresponding percentage in the Caribbean was 52%, up from 29% the previous year.
• Some 16 100 children in Latin America and the Caribbean were receiving ART in 2008, up from about 14 700 in 2007. By end-2008, 76% of treatment-eligible children in this region were receiving it.

East, South and South-East Asia

• Approximately 565 000 people received ART in low- and middle-income countries in the region -- up from 420 000 -- a 35% increase over the previous year and an eightfold increase since 2003.
• Antiretroviral therapy coverage in the region was 37% in 2008, compared to 29% in 2007.
• Some 25% of HIV-positive pregnant women in the region had access to antiretroviral drugs to prevent mother-to-child transmission in 2008, up from 24% in 2007.
• In 2008, 30 000 HIV-positive children received treatment, up from 20 800 in 2007. This represents an ART coverage rate of about 52%.

Europe and Central Asia

• In 2008, 85 000 people were receiving ART in Europe and Central Asia, compared to 54 000 in 2007, an increase of 57%.
• ART coverage among low- and middle income countries in the region was 23% in 2008, up from 16% in 2007.
• An estimated 94% of HIV-positive pregnant women in this region received antiretroviral drugs to prevent mother-to-child HIV transmission, up from 74% in 2007.
• The number of children receiving ART rose from 3000 in 2007 to 4200, representing approximately 85% of those in need.

North Africa and the Middle East

• Approximately 10 000 people in North Africa and the Middle East had access to ART in 2008, compared to 7000 in 2007, an increase of 43%.
• ART coverage in the region remains low: only 14% of those in need of antiretrovirals in 2008 were able to access them, up from 11% in 2007.
• In 2008, 1% of pregnant women living with HIV received antiretroviral drugs to prevent mother-tochild transmission.
• Between 2007 and 2008, the estimated number of children in this region receiving ART rose from 180 to about 400. This represents a regional ART coverage rate of only 6%.