New Delhi, Jan 10 (IANS): The diagnosed prevalent cases of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) are projected to increase globally at an annual growth rate (AGR) of 0.90 per cent from 2.00 million in 2023 to 2.18 million in 2033, according to a report on Friday.

The report by GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company, showed that this rise in HIV cases will majorly be seen in the US, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the UK, and Japan.

It estimates that in 2033, the US will have the highest number of diagnosed prevalent cases of HIV in these seven countries, with approximately 1.46 million cases.

On the other hand, Japan will have the fewest diagnosed prevalent cases with approximately 34,400 cases.

“Diagnosed prevalent cases of HIV are expected to increase due to a combination of the increased diagnosis rate of HIV, the increased life expectancy of HIV-positive people due to anti-retroviral treatment (ART), and population dynamics in these countries,” said Casey Freimuth, Senior Epidemiologist at GlobalData.

There are tools available to reduce future HIV prevalence, such as viral suppression through ART, pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), and post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP).

PrEP is only recently approved in the US and the five European nations such as France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the UK. It is not yet accepted in Japan.

“Future efforts to reduce the burden of HIV should involve increased attention on reducing transmission, either through PrEP or through the use of ART, in combination with education and increased access to testing,” Freimuth said.

Meanwhile, the recent approval of lenacapavir by the US Federal Drug Administration (FDA) has come as a significant breakthrough in treating HIV. The new prototype medication, developed by Gilead Sciences, uses a unique mechanism of twice-yearly injections to treat individuals with multidrug-resistant HIV.