Aids-related deaths are at the lowest level since their 2005 peak, down 21%, figures from UNAids suggest. 
Globally, the number of new HIV infections in 2010 was 21% down on that peak, seen in 1997, according to the UNAids 2011 report. 
The organisation says both falls have been fuelled by a major expansion in access to treatment. This latest analysis says the number of people living with HIV has reached a record 34 million. 
UNAids estimates 700,000 deaths were averted last year because of better access to treatment. That has also helped cut new HIV infections, as people undergoing care are less likely to infect others.
In 2010 there were an estimated 2.7m new HIV infections, down from 3.2m in 1997, and 1.8m people died from Aids-related illnesses, down from 2.2m in 2005. The figures continue the downward trend reported in previous UNAids reports. 
The UN agency said: "The number of new HIV infections is 30-50% lower now than it would have been in the absence of universal access to treatment for eligible people living with HIV."
Some countries have seen particularly striking improvements. UNAids says the full preventive impact of treatment is likely to be seen in the next five years, as more countries improve treatment.
Its report added that even if the Aids epidemic was not over: "The end may be in sight if countries invest smartly."
 

Source: BNA