52 percent of those with confirmed monkeypox (mpox), according to the World Health Organization (WHO), are HIV-positive.
The organisation announced this on Thursday in a statement honouring World AIDS Day 2022.
The theme for this year’s World AIDS Day, which is observed on December 1, is ‘Equalise to End AIDS: Equal Access to Treatment and Prevention Services’.
HIV continues to be a serious public health concern, according to the WHO, with 5.9 million people who are aware they have the disease not receiving treatment.
“A further 4 million people living with HIV have not yet been diagnosed,” the statement reads.
“While 76 percent of adults overall were receiving antiretroviral treatment that helps them lead normal and healthy lives, only 52 percent of children living with HIV were accessing this treatment globally in 2021.
“70 percent of new HIV infections are among people who are marginalised and often criminalised.”
Although HIV transmission has decreased overall in Africa, according to the WHO, there has been no appreciable decline in men who have sex with men over the past ten years.
“The World Health Organization (WHO) is calling on global leaders and citizens to boldly recognize and address the inequalities that are holding back progress in attaining the global goal to end AIDS by 2030,” the statement reads.
In comparing how HIV and mpox overlap, the organisation said its available data shows that “among people confirmed to have mpox, a high number – 52% – were people living with HIV”.
“Global data reported to WHO suggest that people living with mpox with untreated HIV appear to be at risk for more severe disease than people without HIV,” the statement reads.
“The current response to mpox shows that transmission can move quickly in sexual networks and within marginalized populations. But it can also be prevented with community-led responses and open attitudes to address stigma, and health and well-being can be improved and lives can be saved.”
