HIV/AIDS does not discriminate. Everyone is at risk regardless of age race, class, income or religion.
Poverty, discrimination and stigma feed the pandemic. To stop the pandemic, the response must be multisectoral,
culturally sensitive, adequately funded and use human rights- including gender equity -as a foundation.
Biological and cultural factors (e.g., girls and women).
Situations (e.g., displaced persons, refugees, poverty stricken, mobile and transient populations such as truck drivers, migrant workers, miners, uniformed services, and prison populations).
Risky behaviour (e.g., anyone not practicing safer sexual behaviour -ranging from abstinence, delayed sexual activity and condom use, commercial sex workers and their clients, men who have sex with men and intravenous drug users).
How many are infected?
By the end of 2000, global estimates (children and adults) included:
- 36.1 million people infected including 1.4 million children (those under 15 years)
- In the year 2000 alone, there were 5.3 million new infections. Everyday HIV infects over 1700 children and
13,000 others between the ages of 15-49 (47% of whom are women)
- Over 50% of new infections are in young people between the ages of 15-24 years. And, more than 95% of
those infected are in developing countries
Regional HIV/AIDS statistics and features, end of 20001
| |
Epidemic started |
Adults & children
living with HIV/AIDS |
Adults & children
newly infected
with HIV |
Adult
prevalence
rate* |
% of HIV-positive
adults who are
women |
Main mode(s) of
transmission for those
living with HIV/AIDS** |
| Sub-Saharan Africa |
late '70s -
early '80s |
25.3 million |
3.8 million |
8.8% |
55% |
Hetero |
| North Africa & Middle East |
late '80s |
400,000 |
80,000 |
0.2% |
40% |
Hetero, IDU |
| South and South-East Asia |
late '80s |
5.8 million |
780,000 |
0.56% |
35% |
Hetero, IDU |
| East Asia & Pacific |
late '80s |
640,000 |
130,000 |
0.07% |
13% |
IDU, Hetero, MSM |
| Latin America |
late '70s - late '80s |
1.4 million |
150,000 |
0.5 % |
25% |
MSM, IDU, Hetero |
| Caribbean |
late '70s - late '80s |
390,000 |
60,000 |
2.3% |
35% |
Hetero, MSM |
| Eastern Europe & Central
Asia |
early '90s |
700,000 |
250,000 |
0.35% |
25% |
IDU |
| Western Europe |
late '70s -
early '80s |
540,000 |
30,000 |
0.24% |
25% |
MSM, IDU |
| North America |
late '70s -
early '80s |
920,000 |
45,000 |
0.6% |
20% |
MSM, IDU, Hetero |
| Australia & New Zealand |
late '70s -
early '80s |
15,000 |
500 |
0.13% |
10% |
MSM |
| TOTAL |
|
36.1 million |
5.3 million |
1.1% |
47% |
|
|
*
The
proportion of adults (15 to 49 years of age) living with
HIV/AIDS in 2000, using 2000 population numbers
Over the past 20 years, an estimated 21.8 million people have died from HIV/AIDS. In the year 2000 alone, the
figure was 4.3 million including 500,000 children (under 15 years old). The end of 1999 saw 13.2 million
children orphaned by HIV/AIDS.
Africa is the worst hit continent. Adult prevalence rates rise as high as 20% in Namibia and Zambia, 24% in
Lesotho, 25% in Swaziland and Zimbabwe, and almost 36% in Botswana.
India ranks second in the total
number of people living with HIV/AIDS (3.7 million) behind South Africa (4.2 million).
Some sub-regions in
the Caribbean, Eastern Europe and Central Asia are showing dramatic increases in infection rates. In the Russian
Federation, there were more infections registered in 2000 than in all previous years combined.
Ignorance still
abounds: in a recent survey in 17 countries on three continents showed that more than half the adolescent
questioned could not name a single method of protecting themselves against HIV/AIDS.
In responding to the epidemic, prevention, care and treatment are linked along a broad continuum in which one
element reinforces the other. Prevention is a long-term response – campaigns can be complex to implement and
results take time to appear. However, prevention is the mainstay of any response, from ensuring a safe blood
supply, empowering young people with life skills to make responsible decisions, to 100% condom use
prevention efforts are always relevant. The time to act is now.
____________________________
1
- UNAIDS and WHO (2000) AIDS epidemic update: December 2000, Geneva 2000
HOME:
POPULATION ISSUES:
PREVENTING HIV INFECTION:
HIV Prevention Now - Programme
Briefs
