Michel Sidibe

AIDS claimed a million lives in 2016, almost half the 2005 toll that marked the peak of the deadly epidemic, said a U.N. report on July 20 proclaiming "the scales have tipped."

Not only are new HIV infections and deaths declining, but more people than ever are on life-saving treatment, according to data published ahead of an AIDS science conference opening in Paris on July 23.

Global AIDS-related deaths and new HIV infections have fallen by over a third in a decade, the United Nations said Wednesday as it voiced hope of wiping out the killer disease.
      
The global effort to beat the pandemic has made huge strides, though the battle is far from over with 35 million people still living with HIV worldwide, said Michel Sidibe, head of UNAIDS.