New HIV infections worldwide have fallen by 35%, while AIDS-related deaths have fallen by 41%, a new report has revealed.

The report by the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) states that the world is on track to end the AIDS epidemic by 2030. Almost 37 million people are currently estimated to be HIV positive.

In 2000, a number of Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) were set and according to UNAIDS, goal number six - to halt and reverse the spread of HIV - has ‘been achieved and exceeded'.

Since the goals were set 15 years ago, 30 million new HIV infections have been averted, along with 7.8 million AIDS-related deaths.

"The world has delivered on halting and reversing the AIDS epidemic. Now we must commit to ending the AIDS epidemic as part of the Sustainable Development Goals," commented Ban Ki-moon, secretary general of the UN.

The report revealed that the goal of having 15 million people on life-saving HIV (antiretroviral) treatment by 2015 has already been met, nine months ahead of schedule.

The UN insisted that with concerted action over the next five years, the AIDS epidemic can be over by 2030.

"Fifteen years ago there was a conspiracy of silence. AIDS was a disease of the ‘others' and treatment was for the rich and not for the poor. We proved them wrong, and today we have 15 million people on treatment -15 million success stories," said Michel Sidibé, executive director of UNAIDS.

The report emphasised that when the MDGs were drawn up 15 years ago, the idea of having 15 million people on antiretroviral treatment was considered impossible.

In 2000, there was a major increase in the number of new HIV infections. Every single day, 8,500 people were becoming newly infected with the virus, while 4,300 were dying as a result of AIDS-related illnesses.

"In 2000, AIDS began to be taken seriously. Far-sighted global leadership rallied, and the response that ensued made history. Between 2000 and 2014, new HIV infections dropped from 3.1 million to two million, a reduction of 35%. Had the world stood back to watch the epidemic unfold, the annual number of new HIV infections is likely to have risen to around six million by 2014.

"In 2014, the report shows that 83 countries, which account for 83% of all people living with HIV, have halted or reversed their epidemics, including countries with major epidemics, such as India, Kenya, Mozambique, South Africa and Zimbabwe," UNAIDs said.

It pointed out that the halt of new infections among children has been one of the major successes of this campaign. In 2000, some 520,000 children were newly infected with HIV. Many were dying due to a lack of antiretroviral treatment.

However, a global move to ensure that pregnant women with HIV were provided with access to medicines to prevent the virus passing to their unborn children, proved a huge success. Between 2000 and 2014, the percentage of pregnant women with HIV who were provided with access to antiretroviral treatment jumped by 73% and new HIV infections among children fell by 58%.

The report also highlighted the fact that back in 2000, AIDS was ‘a death sentence' for many. People who became infected with HIV usually died within a few years and most children born with the virus never made it to their fifth birthday.

However, between 2005 and 2014, AIDS-related deaths fell by 41%.

Meanwhile, the report also revealed that 75% of people who know they are HIV positive, access antiretroviral treatment, ‘showing that the majority of people do come forward for treatment and have access once they are diagnosed'.

However, it also noted that in 2014, just 54% of those with the virus - around 19.8 million people - were actually aware that they were HIV positive.

"This emphasises the urgent need to scale up HIV testing," UNAIDS said.

The report, How AIDS Changed Everything, can be downloaded here