About HIV/AIDS

Overview:

In the twenty-five years since the beginning of the HIV/AIDS pandemic, approximately 65 million people worldwide have become infected with HIV, including more than 25 million who already have died. If more is not done to fight the HIV/AIDS pandemic, it is on course to be one of the worst in history, with millions more people estimated to become infected by the end of this decade. The HIV/AIDS pandemic presents political, economic, public health, social and scientific challenges to nations worldwide.

State of the Pandemic
As of the end of 2006, 39.5 million people were estimated to be living with HIV/AIDS worldwide. An estimated 4.3 million people became newly infected with HIV in 2006 and nearly three million people died of AIDS-related causes in 2006. Women represent a growing proportion of people living with HIV/AIDS and now comprise nearly half (48%) of adults estimated to be living with HIV/AIDS worldwide. Young people under the age of 25 are estimated to account for half of all new HIV infections worldwide.

According to UNAIDS, there is no single AIDS epidemic worldwide. Instead, many regions and countries are experiencing diverse epidemics, some of which remain in their early stages. Sub-Saharan Africa is the most-affected region in the world as measured by HIV/AIDS prevalence rates, followed by the Caribbean. There also is growing concern about the "next wave" of the epidemic emerging in parts of Eastern Europe and Asia.

Access to needed services remains low overall and uneven around the world. Although access to antiretroviral (ARV) treatment has more than quadrupled since December 2003 in low- and middle-income countries, only 24% of people living with HIV/AIDS in need of ARVs were estimated to be receiving treatment as of June 2006. This represents 1.65 million of the estimated 6.8 million people in need of antiretroviral treatment in these countries. Access to prevention services also is low, with fewer than one in five people at risk of HIV infection estimated to have access in low and middle-income countries.

Worldwide, financial resources for addressing HIV/AIDS in low- and middle-income countries have increased notably over time, but a significant resource gap remains. UNAIDS estimates that spending on HIV/AIDS rose from US$300 million in 1996 to US$8.3 billion in 2005, and is projected to reach US$8.9 billion in 2006 and US$10 billion in 2007. However, current spending falls far short of what is needed to respond to the epidemic –- resource needs are projected to be $15 billion in 2006, rising to $22 billion by 2008. Sustaining and increasing current efforts to meet the need remain significant challenges in the fight against HIV/AIDS.

Source

• UNAIDS 2006 AIDS Epidemic Update, December 2006
• UNAIDS Global Facts and Figures, Fact Sheet, December 2006

  In the twenty-five years since the beginning of the HIV/AIDS pandemic, approximately 65 million people worldwide have become infected with HIV, including more than 25 million who already have died. If more is not done to fight the HIV/AIDS pandemic, it is on course to be one of the worst in history, with millions more people estimated to become infected by the end of this decade. The HIV/AIDS pandemic presents political, economic, public health, social and scientific challenges to nations worldwide.

  State of the Pandemic
  As of the end of 2006, 39.5 million people were estimated to be living with HIV/AIDS worldwide. An estimated 4.3 million people became newly infected with HIV in 2006 and nearly three million people died of AIDS-related causes in 2006. Women represent a growing proportion of people living with HIV/AIDS and now comprise nearly half (48%) of adults estimated to be living with HIV/AIDS worldwide. Young people under the age of 25 are estimated to account for half of all new HIV infections worldwide.

  According to UNAIDS, there is no single AIDS epidemic worldwide. Instead, many regions and countries are experiencing diverse epidemics, some of which remain in their early stages. Sub-Saharan Africa is the most-affected region in the world as measured by HIV/AIDS prevalence rates, followed by the Caribbean. There also is growing concern about the "next wave" of the epidemic emerging in parts of Eastern Europe and Asia.

  Access to needed services remains low overall and uneven around the world. Although access to antiretroviral (ARV) treatment has more than quadrupled since December 2003 in low- and middle-income countries, only 24% of people living with HIV/AIDS in need of ARVs were estimated to be receiving treatment as of June 2006. This represents 1.65 million of the estimated 6.8 million people in need of antiretroviral treatment in these countries. Access to prevention services also is low, with fewer than one in five people at risk of HIV infection estimated to have access in low and middle-income countries.

  Worldwide, financial resources for addressing HIV/AIDS in low- and middle-income countries have increased notably over time, but a significant resource gap remains. UNAIDS estimates that spending on HIV/AIDS rose from US$300 million in 1996 to US$8.3 billion in 2005, and is projected to reach US$8.9 billion in 2006 and US$10 billion in 2007. However, current spending falls far short of what is needed to respond to the epidemic –- resource needs are projected to be $15 billion in 2006, rising to $22 billion by 2008. Sustaining and increasing current efforts to meet the need remain significant challenges in the fight against HIV/AIDS.

  Source

  • UNAIDS 2006 AIDS Epidemic Update, December 2006
  • UNAIDS Global Facts and Figures, Fact Sheet, December 2006 (.pdf)
  • UNAIDS 2006 Report on the Global AIDS Epidemic, May 2006
  • WHO Progress in Scaling Up Access to HIV Treatment in Low- and Middle-Income Countries, June 2006 (.pdf)
• UNAIDS 2006 Report on the Global AIDS Epidemic, May 2006
• WHO Progress in Scaling Up Access to HIV Treatment in Low- and Middle-Income Countries, June 2006 (.pdf)

(From: http://www.globalhealthreporting.org)