Low graphics   |   Mobile      Login   |   About us      
Mon, 6 Oct 16:39:52 GMT17

 
AIDS pandemic

Last reviewed: 26-06-2008

An unparalleled threat to human welfare


AIDS pins at the 2006 HIV/AIDS conference in Toronto.<BR> REUTERS/Fabrizio Bensch
AIDS pins at the 2006 HIV/AIDS conference in Toronto.
REUTERS/Fabrizio Bensch
Twenty-five years after HIV/AIDS was first identified, over 33 million people are living with the virus. Most are in sub-Saharan Africa but the virus is spreading fast in Asia and Eastern Europe.

  • Most HIV+ people don't know they're infected
  • Women make up two-thirds of new infections in sub-Saharan Africa
  • Anti-retroviral drugs reach only 24 percent of those who need them

    While some countries have been successful at containing the virus - including Brazil, Uganda and Cuba - others are experiencing soaring infection levels. Swaziland has the highest level of infection - a third of people aged 15 to 49.

    The good news is that some of the worst-affected countries - Burkina Faso, Kenya, Haiti and Zimbabwe - have recently reduced their infection rates.

    But as infection levels continue to rise, international controversies rage over issues such as drug-pricing and the promotion of condom use.

    On a local level, AIDS workers have to grapple with social stigma as well as shortages of medical staff and drugs.

    See also our regional AIDS briefings for Africa, Americas, Asia, E.Europe/C.Asia and the Middle East.

    KEY FACTS


    Estimated new infections in 2007 2.5 million (UNAIDS 2007 report)
    Estimated AIDS deaths in 2007 2.1 million (UNAIDS)
    Total number living with HIV in 2007 33.2 million (UNAIDS)
    Number living with HIV in sub-Saharan Africa in 2007 22.5 million (68 percent of total) (UNAIDS)

    Unlike some other content on this website, the written content in this article may be republished or redistributed by any means free of charge. Any use of photographs and graphics on this website is expressly prohibited. You must check whether written content contained in other articles on this website may be republished or redistributed without the express permission of Reuters or the relevant third party provider.

    • Related articles

    Breaking stories
     Asia SOUTH AFRICA: Rapid HIV tests not infallible

    Aid group urges switch to dairy, egg-based food aid

    AlertNet insight
     Child malnutrition in Asia tops sub-Saharan Africa - UNICEF

    Aid agency news feed
     Middle East WER sends humanitarian aid to Jordan as Iraqi refugees prepare for winter

    Blogs
     Americas Yes, people over 50 have sex too

    Maps
     Africa MAP: WHO weekly emergency situation update (Africa)


    AlertNet for journalists

    AlertNet for journalists is a set of tools and services designed to make life easier for reporters, fact-checkers and editors when covering humanitarian emergencies.
    Thumb for /thefacts/imagerepository/RTRPICT/2008-10-06T154809Z_01_ABI05_RTRIDSP_2_NOBEL-MEDICINE_mainimage.jpg|/thenews/pictures/ABI05.htm
    Thumb for /thefacts/imagerepository/RTRPICT/2008-10-06T154751Z_01_ABI07_RTRIDSP_2_NOBEL-MEDICINE_mainimage.jpg|/thenews/pictures/ABI07.htm
    Thumb for /thefacts/imagerepository/RTRPICT/2008-10-06T153807Z_01_ABI01_RTRIDSP_2_NOBEL-MEDICINE_mainimage.jpg|/thenews/pictures/ABI01.htm
    Thumb for /thefacts/imagerepository/RTRPICT/2008-10-06T132211Z_01_KAR102_RTRIDSP_2_HUNGARY_mainimage.jpg|/thenews/pictures/KAR102.htm
    Thumb for /thefacts/imagerepository/RTRPICT/2008-10-06T121105Z_01_SIN700_RTRIDSP_2_NOBEL-MEDICINE_mainimage.jpg|/thenews/pictures/SIN700.htm

    French scientist Luc Montagnier, 2008 Nobel prize winner for medicine and director of the World Foundation for AIDS Research and Prevention, attends the international conference about AIDS at the presidential palace ...


    More pictures | Galleries

    * Denotes mandatory entry      Rate this item *  
    • Currently 4/5 Stars.
    • 1
    • 2
    • 3
    • 4
    • 5


    Name: *     Email: * 
    I am: *     


    Comments:

    Enter the code shown on on the left *




    URL: http://www.alertnet.org/db/crisisprofiles/GL_HIV.htm

    For our full disclaimer and copyright information please visit http://www.alertnet.org