Blood, breast milk and semen can carry the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) that causes AIDS. It's a disease that has affected almost 75 million since the start of the epidemic in the 1980s, and it has claimed the lives of about 36 million people globally. But there may be a light at the end of the tunnel as the number of HIV infections and AIDS-related deaths are decreasing, according to the United Nations, which also claimed that HIV/AIDS could be controlled by 2030 and ended "in every region, in every country."

The number of individuals infected with HIV has stabilized around 35 million. New cases of HIV infections have dropped by 38 percent since 2001, and AIDS deaths have dropped 35 percent since a peak in 2005. Among children, new HIV infections have plummeted by 58 percent since 2001 and dropped below 200,000 for the first time among the 21 most HIV-affected nations in Africa.

Now, after years of research into the life-threatening disease, AIDS can be managed with a cocktail of drugs known as antiretroviral therapy or ART, as well as a once-daily pill, Truvada.

More than ever before, researchers believe that an end to the life-ravaging virus is in sight, and the disease can be eradicated. At the end of 2013, more than 12.9 million HIV positive people had access to antiretroviral therapy, an improvement over the 10 million the year prior. In 2010, only 5 million received drugs to address their AIDS.

"The world has witnessed extraordinary changes in the AIDS landscape. There have been more achievements in the past five years than in the preceding 23 years," a report published by the U.N. stated. The same report observed that the elimination of AIDS would mean correcting the negative impact AIDS has had on societies and lives (stigma, bad health, deaths and AIDS orphans). "It means increased life expectancy, unconditional acceptance of people's diversity and rights, and increased productivity and reduced costs as the impact diminishes."

More than $19 billion was allotted to AIDS relief in 2013. The estimated need for 2015 will likely be between $22 billion and $24 billion; those funds would go toward securing control over the epidemic, averting 18 million new HIV infections and 11.2 million AIDS deaths between 2013 and 2030, and ensuring that a decade or more isn't added to the struggle against AIDS.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has helped to expand guidelines so that more people receive treatment as needed, but millions still don't receive the drugs that they desperately need.

"Providing life-saving HIV treatment to nearly 12 million people in the developing world is a significant achievement, but more than half of people in need still do not have access," Jennifer Cohn, medical director of the access campaign for the charity Médecins Sans Frontières, said. "We know that early treatment helps prevent transmission of HIV and keeps people healthy; we need to respond to HIV in all contexts and make treatment accessible to everyone in need as soon as possible."

Education continues to be a main concern, as 19 million of the 35 million infected remain ignorant about their status (15.8 percent in the United States). Better outreach to Central African Republic, Congo, Indonesia, Nigeria, Russia and South Sudan is vital, because they face 3X the threat of HIV, and have seen little decline in infections due to lack of access to tests, services or means of protections.

Treatment can also be exorbitantly expensive for those who lack health insurance, which is a significant number of those infected. The American Psychological Association has stated that research on socioeconomic status and HIV/AIDS suggests that a person's socioeconomic standing may affect his or her likelihood of contracting HIV and developing AIDS, due to SES' connection to riskier health behaviors, riskier sexual practices, IV drug use and access to HIV treatment.

The "people-centered" approach to addressing AIDS anticipates an AIDS-free world that should restore hope in devastated communities. UNAIDS looks to reduce deaths and new cases of HIV/AIDS by 90 percent by 2030 with its "zero AIDS-related deaths" strategy.

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