Report card for HIV/AIDS a dismal one

Nov 21 2006

According to the latest report the AIDS epidemic is in fact getting worse rather than better.

The report by UNAIDS and the World Health Organisation says every 8 seconds somebody is infected with the HIV virus which equates to 11,000 new infections worldwide every day, while another 8,000 infected people die.

UNAIDS estimates there are now 39.5 million people living with HIV and the numbers of those with the virus has increased everywhere in the world, but the greatest increases are in East and Central Asia and Eastern Europe.

Sub-Saharan Africa is still bearing most of the brunt of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, with 2.8 million new HIV infections this year and an estimated 4.3 million worldwide.

In 2006 almost three-quarters of deaths from AIDS occurred there and two-thirds of those living with HIV are in that area.

Of more concern, it seems some countries, such as Uganda, are now seeing a resurgence in new HIV infection rates which were previously stable or declining.

In 2006, 2.9 million died of AIDS-related illnesses and 40 per cent of new infections were in people aged 15 to 24-years-old.

The report says that the future course of the world's HIV epidemics in many respects depends on the behaviours young people adopt and maintain, and the factors that affect those choices.

The report says the increase is driven by high-risk behaviour such as injecting drug use, unprotected paid-for sex and unprotected sex between men.

Across the globe women are likely to be affected by HIV more than ever before and sadly the fact remains that in sub-Saharan Africa, there are around 14 women living with HIV for every 10 men.

Even in Thailand, which was regarded as a success story, one third of new HIV infections occur among married women, people previously considered at low risk.

In Eastern Europe/Central Asia there was a 70% increase in the number of new infections seen in 2006 compared with 2004 - 270,000 compared with 160,000.

In South-East Asia, the number of new infections rose by 15% from 2004 to 2006 and UNAIDS says HIV figures in Mozambique, South Africa and Swaziland continue to grow.

India, where the epidemic appears to be stable or diminishing in some parts while growing in others, has 5.7 million infected people, mainly through heterosexual sex.

Currently Zimbabwe is the only southern African country where the prevalence of HIV among adults is falling.

UNAIDS director Dr. Peter Piot, warns that it is vital HIV prevention efforts are sustained, adapted and intensified, in order to ensure the most vulnerable are targeted.

He says even in countries with limited resources such efforts have shown a benefit when programmes are correctly targeted.

China has had success in reducing HIV rates among sex workers, and injecting drug users, and in Portugal HIV diagnoses among drug injectors fell by almost a third between 2001 and 2005 following the implementation of special prevention programmes.

The report warns in many countries prevention programmes do not reach the people most at risk and Dr. Anders Nordström, acting director-general of the World Health Organization, says it is vital investment is increased in both HIV prevention and treatment services.

Aid agencies are calling for a funding boost to provide access to anti-retroviral drug treatment, which only 1.65 million or 24 percent of the 6.8 million people in need are receiving.