global AIDS epidemic continues to grow
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,
21 November 2006 - 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.
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, Côte 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
Nordström. "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 www.unaids.org
_______________________________________________________________
NAIDS, 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.
Contact
Yasmine
Topor | UNAIDS Geneva | +41 22 791 3501 | topory@unaids.org
