Phnom Penh, May 30 (IANS) Cambodia achieved its 95-95-95 HIV treatment targets last year, and is on track to eliminate AIDS as a public health threat by 2030, the country’s Minister of Health Chheang Ra has said.

The targets mean 95 per cent of the people who are living with HIV know their HIV status, 95 per cent of the people who know that they are living with HIV are on life-saving antiretroviral treatment, and 95 per cent of people who are on treatment are virally suppressed.

HIV is the virus that causes AIDS.

Chheang Ra disclosed this significant milestone during a meeting in Phnom Penh with Patricia Ongpin, country director of UNAIDS for Cambodia, Laos and Malaysia, on Friday, according to a Ministry of Health press release issued late on Friday.

“Achieving the 95-95-95 targets is a clear testament to the progress and effectiveness of Cambodia’s National AIDS Programme,” he said.

“It shows that Cambodia is firmly on track towards ending AIDS as a public health threat by 2030.”

The minister added that the country will continue integrating HIV prevention, testing, and treatment into its health system and expanding Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis and self-testing services while boosting funding sustainability for AIDS programmes.

For her part, Ongpin congratulated Cambodia on its remarkable progress in its AIDS response, saying that UNAIDS will prepare to formally validate and recognise the country’s achievement of the 95-95-95 targets in line with international standards, Xinhua news agency reported.

Cambodia has approximately 76,000 people living with HIV/AIDS, according to a 2025 Ministry of Health report.

The report noted that nearly 700 AIDS-related deaths and about 1,200 new HIV infections were recorded last year.

HIV is a virus that attacks the body’s immune system. Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) occurs at the most advanced stage of infection.

HIV targets the body’s white blood cells, weakening the immune system. This makes it easier to get sick with diseases like tuberculosis, infections and some cancers.

HIV is spread from the body fluids of an infected person, including blood, breast milk, semen and vaginal fluids. It is not spread by kisses, hugs or sharing food. It can also spread from a mother to her baby.

HIV can be prevented and treated with antiretroviral therapy (ART). Untreated HIV can progress to AIDS, often after many years.

–IANS

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