PURPOSE OF REVIEW:

To present the methodology used to calculate coverage of antiretroviral therapy (ART) and review global and regional trends in ART coverage.

RECENT FINDINGS:

There has been a steady increase in ART coverage over the last decade with a more rapid increase in recent years. Current estimates of ART coverage are 43% for adults and 38% for children (ages 0-14 years). Methods for calculating coverage rely on good-quality patient monitoring systems in countries, and well informed models are needed to estimate the number of people in need of treatment.

SUMMARY:

The estimated coverage rates show that ART programs have improved over the past 8 years; however, approximately 58% (53-60%) of those people in need of ART are still not on treatment. High quality data are needed to accurately measure changes in ART coverage.