Title: AIDS now world's fourth biggest killer.

POPLINE Document Number: 142253

Author(s):

Balter M

Source citation:

SCIENCE, 1999 May 14;284(5417):1101.

Abstract:

In May 1999, the World Health Organization released figures indicating that AIDS is now the fourth leading cause of death in the world (moving up from seventh in 1998 rankings). The previous first three causes, ischemic heart disease, cerebrovascular disease, and acute lower respiratory disease, remain the same. In Africa, AIDS is the number one killer and was responsible for 1,830,000 deaths last year, twice as many as were caused by malaria. The change in AIDS ranking was partially due to improved methods of estimating the mortality caused by diseases, but the new figures vindicate UNAIDS warnings in 1998 that the epidemic is still out of control. UNAIDS estimates that 6 million more people are infected with HIV each year, but the international community is only investing $150 million each year to prevent and control HIV in Africa.

Keywords:

Global
Africa
Critique
AIDS
HIV Prevention
Developing Countries
HIV Infections
Viral Diseases
Diseases