This World Aids Day, we wanted to reflect on the progress that has been made in tackling HIV in Africa.

That progress, of course, comes with an important caveat – Sub-Saharan Africa remains the region most heavily affected by HIV, which is why the ongoing campaigns to combat it are so essential to support.

But if the significant steps forward in the last few years are anything to go by, this will not be the last of the encouraging news you’ll hear about HIV in Africa.

Take a look at these promising stats:

• In the last year HIV incidence has fallen in 33 countries, 22 of them in sub-Saharan Africa, the region most affected by the Aids epidemic.
• The total number of new HIV infections in sub-Saharan Africa has dropped by more than 26%, down to 1.9 million from the estimated 2.6 million at the height of the epidemic in 1997.
• In 22 sub-Saharan countries, research shows HIV incidence declined by more than 25% between 2001 and 2009.
• Antiretroviral coverage rose 20% in sub-Saharan Africa between 2009 and 2010.
• AIDS has claimed at least one million lives annually in sub- Saharan Africa since 1998. Since then, however, AIDS-related deaths have steadily decreased, as free antiretroviral therapy has become more widely available in the region.

Source: UNAIDS World AIDS Day Report 2011,“How to get to zero: Faster. Smarter. Better.” 21 November 2011

We’re not the only optimists out there.

In this special video for World Aids Day 2011, the ONE campaign confidently rallies us to continue the momentum of progress:

 “We stand on the cusp of a major milestone in this fight. This could be the beginning of the end of Aids. 2015 is the year we can virtually eliminate HIV transmission from mother to child and ensure almost no child is born with HIV. An Aids free generation is in our grasp."

Watch their inspiring video here