Title: The AIDS epidemic in 2004.

POPLINE Document Number: 194668

Author(s):

Steinbrook R

Source citation:

New England Journal of Medicine, 2004 Jul 8;351(2):115-117.

Abstract:

As the AIDS pandemic enters its 24th year, the number of people living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection continues to increase steadily (see Figure). Two thirds of infected persons are in Africa, where the epidemic exploded during the 1990s, and one fifth are in Asia, where the epidemic has been growing rapidly in recent years. As of the end of 2003, an estimated 34.6 million to 42.3 million people throughout the world were living with HIV infection, and more than 20 million had died of AIDS. In that year alone, about 4.8 million people became infected with HIV, and about 2.9 million died of AIDS. The challenge of the epidemic is that despite the increases in funding, global attention, and political will, more infections and more deaths continue to occur. The participants in the 15th International AIDS Conference, which begins in Bangkok, Thailand, on July 11, will once again consider the daunting task of reversing these trends. In preparation for the meeting, the Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) has updated its global statistics (see Table). On the basis of better data than have previously been available from many countries, the estimation of the number of people living with HIV infection as of the end of 2003 has been revised downward — to a point estimate of 37.8 million from an earlier estimate of about 40 million. The estimated number of deaths due to AIDS has also been revised downward. Nonetheless, the statistics are merely estimates that reflect many assumptions and uncertainties; the situation in particular countries, such as those where accurate data are hardest to obtain, may be better or worse. Of all people between 15 and 49 years of age worldwide, 1.1 percent are now infected with HIV. (excerpt)

Keywords:

Global
Adults
HIV Infections
AIDS
Epidemics
Antiretroviral Drugs
Treatment
Health
Mortality
Foreign Aid
Age Factors
Population Characteristics
Demographic Factors
Population
Viral Diseases
Diseases
Population Dynamics
Financial Activities
Economic Factors