Health systems unprepared for ageing population living with HIV

Global health systems are unprepared to meet the needs of an ageing population living with HIV, experts have warned.

While people with the virus are living longer due to the success of preventative measures such as HIV testing, condom provision and drugs, new research indicates healthcare providers face a new challenge in caring for those with the lifelong condition.

An estimated 36.9 million people are now living with HIV globally, according to figures from UNAIDS, a branch of the United Nations which aims to end Aids as a public health threat.

Of them, 7.5 million are aged 50 years or older, which is more than double the 3.3 million from 10 years ago.

Professor Jeffrey V Lazarus, of the Barcelona Institute for Global Health in Spain, who led the research, said: “Life expectancy for people living with HIV has increased rapidly since the late 1990s.

“However, this means that health systems are responsible for the care of increasingly large numbers of ageing people with HIV.”

Via The Australian