ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — In its latest World Aids Day report, the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) warns millions of lives could be lost globally by the end of the decade if action isn't taken to address inequalities in the fight against the virus.

"This report is a wake-up call on the AIDS emergency, and on the urgency of addressing our multiple pandemic challenges together," the report begins.

According to the report titled Unequal, Unprepared, Under Threat, there were 1.5 million HIV cases reported last year. The pandemic caused a disruption in HIV services, especially during the first half of 2020. From January to June, there was only a 1.9% increase in the number of people living with HIV who were on antiretroviral therapy. Bigger increases were seen in the second half of the year (4.9%) and during the first half of this year (3.4%).

Nearly two thirds of 130 countries surveyed said harm reduction services for drug users, a key prevention method, were disrupted. The report also notes there's a "significant risk" that political attention and financial resources could be diverted from HIV services because of COVID. UNAIDS said the world could see 7.7 million AIDS-related deaths by 2030 if HIV service coverage holds steady at 2019 levels.

"The challenge is AIDS is now a manageable disease, and if we don't do something worldwide, it's going to continue to spread," said Dr. Robert Wallace, medical director of Love the Golden Rule, Inc.

Wallace began treating patients with HIV and AIDS more than 30 years ago. He said the doors to his clinic remained open throughout the pandemic.

"Our patient population has been increasing much more than I had expected," Wallace said. "These are patients, some of them have been infected and we're seeing other doctors who have retired, but we're getting more cases of newly infected patients every month."

Wallace said in Tampa Bay, there are a number of organizations working to educate the community about HIV and prevention methods, like PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis), a medication taken by people who are HIV-negative that's highly effective preventing infection.

It's those kinds of services the UNAIDS report notes need to be strengthened in some communities. It says five elements outlined in the Global AIDS Strategy 2021-2026 can help prevent most of the projected seven million deaths.

They include community-led and community-based infrastructure, which involve public health systems, equitable access to medicines, vaccines, and health technologies, supporting health care workers on the pandemic's front lines, putting human rights at the center of pandemic responses, and people-centered data systems that highlight inequalities.

To learn more about resources for people living with HIV, click here.