- Thanks to the development of antiretroviral treatments, HIV is now controllable.
- Currently, Mexico ranks second among the Latin American countries with the most cases of HIV.
- On the other hand, Chile is the nation in the region with the greatest increase in cases, having an increase of 115% during the last decade.
One of the pending issues in Latin America is the fight against HIV. Despite the fact that today there is more information than in the past, the problem remains in force. The lack of interest from governments and the overconfidence of the population have caused new cases to increase in recent years.
main symptoms
Based on the World Health Organization (WHO), the symptoms of the infection differ according to the stage in question. Although the maximum infectivity tends to be reached in the first months, many infected are unaware that they are carriers until more advanced stages. Sometimes, in the first weeks after infection, the person does not show symptoms, while on other occasions they present a flu-like symptoms with fever, headache, rashes or sore throat.
As the infection weakens the immune system, the person may Present other signs and symptoms, such as lymphadenopathy, weight loss, fever, diarrhea, and cough. If the infection is not treated, serious diseases such as tuberculosis, cryptococcal meningitis, serious bacterial infections, or cancers such as lymphomas or Kaposi’s sarcoma.
An important point that to date it causes confusion among people is HIV and AIDS because although some think they are synonymous, they are actually quite different.
On the one hand, the HIV is the first stage of the disease and can be treatable through consistent use of antiretrovirals for life. On the other hand, when it is not treated, it evolves to AIDS, which is the advanced and most dangerous phase. When that happens, the death of the patient in the short term is quite probable.
Panorama of HIV in Latin America
A great deal of progress has been made globally over the last 30 years. These achievements have led to a decline in the number of new infections in many parts of the world. However, the new infections registered in recent years warn that millions of people are still vulnerable to this disease, especially in developing countries.
In some of the most populous countries in Latin America, for example, there have been significant increases in the number of people living with HIV since 2010. According to figures from Statista based on the estimates of the Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), Brazil is the country in the region with the largest number of people with HIV. It is estimated that in 2021 there were 960 thousand people infected.
In turn, in second position is Mexico with 360,000 people who are carriers of the virus, which represents an increase of 57% compared to 2010.
To continue with HIV in Latin America, the third step corresponds to Colombia because there are 170,000 people infected. This resulted in an increase of 42 percent over the last decade.
Now, when analyzing from the point of view of the percentage increase, then Chile is the most affected country in the region. Based on official statistics there was an increase of 115 percent over the last 10 years.
Also read:
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Updated guidelines: WHO recommends new injectable drug for HIV prevention
Chart of the Day: Progress Against HIV/AIDS Over the Last 20 Years