Global HIV toll hits 40.3 million

The Aids Epidemic Update 2005 revealed that an estimated 40.3 million people now have HIV - up from 37.5 million in 2003 and the highest-ever level. The report, by the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/Aids (UNAids) and the World Health Organisation (WHO), estimated that globally there will be an extra five million new infections in 2005. It also estimated that 2005 would see more than three million deaths from Aids-related illnesses - more than 500,000 of these children.

It is, of course, a mistake to mentally spend and respend the money the Bush administration has squandered on tax cuts for the rich and the fiasco in Iraq, but think of how many lives an enlightened AIDS policy and some well spent money could have saved.

Mon 21 Nov 2005
Global HIV toll hits 40.3 million

The number of people living with HIV worldwide has topped 40 million for the first time, with more than 7,000 new infections in the UK adding to the toll, a new report shows.

The Aids Epidemic Update 2005 revealed that an estimated 40.3 million people now have HIV - up from 37.5 million in 2003 and the highest-ever level.

While the vast majority of cases are still found in the developing world, figures in the report showed that there were an estimated 7,258 new diagnoses of the infection in the UK last year - more than double the figure for 2000.

The report, by the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/Aids (UNAids) and the World Health Organisation (WHO), estimated that globally there will be an extra five million new infections in 2005. It also estimated that 2005 would see more than three million deaths from Aids-related illnesses - more than 500,000 of these children.

The annual report said there was evidence that adult HIV infection rates had decreased in some countries, with measures such as increased use of condoms and urging people to have fewer sexual partners playing a part in this.

But the overall trend in HIV transmission is still increasing, with experts warning that far greater HIV prevention efforts are needed to slow the epidemic.

Figures in the report estimated that there were 7,258 new diagnoses of HIV in the UK in 2004 - up from 7,076 in 2003 and more than double the 3,499 reported in 2000. The report said that one of the reasons for this doubling was increased testing for the infection.

But it said that most of the increase was due to a steep rise in the number of heterosexually acquired HIV infections, around 80% of which were contracted in high-prevalence countries such as in Africa.

Sex between men still accounts for around a quarter of new HIV diagnoses in the UK.

Previous figures have suggested that there are an estimated 60,000 people living with HIV in the UK, with around 27% of these thought to be undiagnosed.

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