Notes

• Topic: Health: Risk factors
• Definition: Antiretroviral therapy coverage indicates the percentage of all people living with HIV who are receiving antiretroviral therapy.
• Source: UNAIDS estimates.
• Statistical concept and methodology: Data on HIV are from the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS). Changes in procedures and assumptions for estimating the data and better coordination with countries have resulted in improved estimates of HIV and AIDS. Antiretroviral therapy has led to huge reductions in death and suffering of people with advanced HIV infection.
• Limitations and exceptions: The limited availability of data on health status is a major constraint in assessing the health situation in developing countries. Surveillance data are lacking for many major public health concerns. Estimates of prevalence and incidence are available for some diseases but are often unreliable and incomplete. National health authorities differ widely in capacity and willingness to collect or report information.