Nairobi — On Tuesday, Kenya joins the rest of the world in observing World Aids Day at a time when almost 33.4 million people are living with the virus. The majority of these cannot access life-saving treatment.

The virus was the cause of over two million deaths worldwide last year alone, and despite monumental efforts to stop its march, HIV remains one of the biggest health challenges ever.

However, for once, there are indications that some of the interventions are working albeit with modest gains.

According to data released by the United Nations last week, there has been a reduction in the number of deaths related to the virus, while the incidence of new infections has stabilised.

This is especially significant to us because Kenya is one of those countries that have realised these gains, attributed to the increased use of antiretroviral drugs, and adoption of safer sexual practices.

About 300,000 Kenyans are on antiretroviral drugs out of 1.4 million people living with the virus, but despite this modest coverage, almost a third of deaths related to HIV have been averted.

This is evidence that scaling up the antiretroviral coverage could dramatically reduce further the number of people dying from Aids-related causes, which is a most welcome development.

The country, as well as the rest of the world, aims to achieve universal antiretroviral coverage -- giving access to all qualified cases. This is a noble target. However it will require a massive and dependable infusion of finances, especially from within, for the plan to have long-term sustainability.

The way forward is to lay more emphasis on internal funding as the global community, facing an economic downturn, replaces HIV with climate change, as its most urgent concern.

But whatever happens, we must strive to build on the current momentum, consolidate the gains made, and work even harder to save lives.