Global AIDS Epidemic Continues To Grow

Global AIDS Epidemic Continues To Grow

November 22, 2006

New Data Also Show Hiv Prevention Programmes Getting Better Results If Focused On Reaching People Most At Risk And Adapted To Changing National Epidemics

    GENEVA, Nov, 22 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- The global AIDS
epidemic continues to grow and there is concerning evidence
that some countries are seeing a resurgence in new HIV
infection rates which were previously stable or declining.
However, declines in infection rates are also being
observed in some countries, as well as positive trends in
young people's sexual behaviours.

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    According to the latest figures published today in the
UNAIDS/WHO 2006 AIDS Epidemic Update, an estimated 39.5
million people are living with HIV. There were 4.3 million
new infections in 2006 with 2.8 million (65%) of these
occurring in sub-Saharan Africa and important increases in
Eastern Europe and Central Asia, where there are some
indications that infection rates have risen by more than
50% since 2004. In 2006, 2.9 million people died of
AIDS-related illnesses. 

    New data suggest that where HIV prevention programmes
have not been sustained and/or adapted as epidemics have
changed-infection rates in some countries are staying the
same or going back up. 

    In North America and Western Europe, HIV prevention
programmes have often not been sustained and the number of
new infections has remained the same.  Similarly in low-
and middle-income countries, there are only a few examples
of countries that have actually reduced new infections. And
some countries that had showed earlier successes in reducing
new infections, such as Uganda, have either slowed or are
now experiencing increasing infection rates.

    "This is worrying-as we know increased HIV
prevention programmes in these countries have shown
progress in the past-Uganda being a prime example. This
means that countries are not moving at the same speed as
their epidemics," said UNAIDS Executive Director Dr
Peter Piot. "We need to greatly intensify life-saving
prevention efforts while we expand HIV treatment
programmes."

    HIV prevention works but needs to be focused and
sustained

    New data from the report show that increased HIV
prevention programmes that are focused and adapted to reach
those most at risk of HIV infection are making inroads.

    Positive trends in young people's sexual
behaviours-increased use of condoms, delay of sexual debut,
and fewer sexual partners-have taken place over the past
decade in many countries with generalized epidemics.
Declines in HIV prevalence among young people between 2000
and 2005 are evident in Botswana, Burundi, C-te d'Ivoire,
Kenya, Malawi, Rwanda, Tanzania and Zimbabwe.

    In other countries, even limited resources are showing
high returns when investments are focused on the needs of
people most likely to be exposed to HIV. In China, there
are some examples of focused programmes for sex workers
that have seen marked increases in condom use and decreases
in rates of sexually transmitted infections, and programmes
with injecting drug users are also showing progress in some
regions.  And in Portugal, HIV diagnoses among drug
injectors were almost one third (31%) lower in 2005,
compared with 2001, following the implementation of special
prevention programmes focused on HIV and drug use. 

    Addressing the challenges: Know your epidemic

    In many countries, HIV prevention programmes are not
reaching the people most at risk of infection, such as
young people, women and girls, men who have sex with men,
sex workers and their clients, injecting drug users, and
ethnic and cultural minorities. The report outlines how the
issue of women and girls within the AIDS epidemic needs
continued and increased attention. In sub-Saharan Africa
for example, women continue to be more likely than men to
be infected with HIV and in most countries in the region
they are also more likely to be the ones caring for people
infected with HIV. 

    According to the report, there is increasing evidence
of HIV outbreaks among men who have sex with men in
Cambodia, China, India, Nepal, Pakistan, Thailand and Viet
Nam as well as across Latin America but most national AIDS
programmes fail to address the specific needs of these
people. New data also show that HIV prevention programmes
are failing to address the overlap between injecting drug
use and sex work within the epidemics of Latin America,
Eastern Europe and particularly Asia.

    "It is imperative that we continue to increase
investment in both HIV prevention and treatment services to
reduce unnecessary deaths and illness from this
disease," said WHO Acting Director-General, Dr Anders
Nordstrom "In sub-Saharan Africa, the worst affected
region, life expectancy at birth is now just 47 years,
which is 30 years less than most high-income
countries."

    The AIDS Epidemic Update underlines how weak HIV
surveillance in several regions including Latin America,
the Caribbean, the Middle East, and North Africa often
means that people at highest risk-men who have sex with
men, sex workers, and injecting drug users-are not
adequately reached through HIV prevention and treatment
strategies because not enough is known about their
particular situations and realities. 

    The report also highlights that levels of knowledge of
safe sex and HIV remain low in many countries, as well as
perception of personal risk. Even in countries where the
epidemic has a very high impact, such as Swaziland and
South Africa, a large proportion of the population do not
believe they are at risk of becoming infected. 

    "Knowing your epidemic and understanding the
drivers of the epidemic such as inequality between men and
women and homophobia is absolutely fundamental to the
long-term response to AIDS.  Action must not only be
increased dramatically, but must also be strategic, focused
and sustainable to ensure that the money reaches those who
need it most," said Dr Piot. 

    The annual AIDS Epidemic Update reports on the latest
developments in the global AIDS epidemic. With maps and
regional estimates, the 2006 edition provides the most
recent estimates on the epidemic's scope and human toll and
explores new trends in the epidemic's evolution. The report
is available at http://www.unaids.org .

    UNAIDS, the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS,
brings together the efforts and resources of ten UN system
organizations to the global AIDS response. Cosponsors
include UNHCR, UNICEF, WFP, UNDP, UNFPA, UNODC, ILO,
UNESCO, WHO and the World Bank. Based in Geneva, the UNAIDS
Secretariat works on the ground in more than 75 countries
worldwide.

    As the directing and coordinating authority on
international health work, the World Health Organization
(WHO) takes the lead within the UN system in the global
health sector response to HIV/AIDS.  WHO provides
technical, evidence-based support to Member States to help
strengthen health systems to provide a comprehensive and
sustainable response to HIV/AIDS including treatment, care,
support and prevention services through the health sector. 


    For more information, please contact:

     Yasmine Topor 
     UNAIDS Geneva 
     Tel:   [phone]
     Email: [e-mail] 

     Beth Magne-Watts
     UNAIDS Geneva
     Tel:   [phone]
     Email: [e-mail] 

     Sophie Barton-Knott
     UNAIDS Geneva
     Tel:   [phone]
     Email: [e-mail] 

     Iqbal Nandra 
     WHO Geneva 
     Tel:   [phone]
     Email: [e-mail]

SOURCE  World Health Organization