by Shroufi A, Chiller T, Jordan A, Denning DW, Harrison TS, Govender NP, Loyse A, Baptiste S, Rajasingham R, Boulware DR, Ribeiro I, Jarvis JN, Cutsem GV. Lancet Infectious Diseases 2020. doi: 10.1016/S1473-3099(20)30909-9
Summary: Antiretroviral treatment alone is not enough to fully address HIV-related deaths, parallel improvements are needed in the treatment of opportunistic infections. As updates to the next global AIDS strategy are being formulated, it is time to introduce ambitious new targets addressing the leading causes of AIDS mortality. The authors call for UNAIDS, WHO, national policy makers, and donors to support a comprehensive strategy for ending HIV-related deaths from cryptococcal meningitis, which was responsible for around 20% of HIV-related deaths in 2014, by 2030. Together with similar efforts to address deaths from tuberculosis and bacterial infections, such an approach can help to renew global efforts to end all HIV-related deaths by 2030.