WASHINGTON (July 18, 2012)--The United Nations reported Wednesday that a record 8 million people with HIV in poor countries received potentially life-saving treatment last year, and new infections among children are dropping.

Wednesday's report said the world is making progress toward the target of treating 15 million people by 2015, and of mostly eliminating new cases in children by treating HIV-infected pregnant women.

The report’s release comes days before the world's largest AIDS conference opens in the nation's capital with the goal of finally "turning the tide" on the epidemic, citing research that suggests it's possible to dramatically stem the spread of the virus.

Some 34.2 million people worldwide are living with HIV, and another 2.5 million became infected last year.