Global facts and figures on AIDS

• An estimated 33.0 million [30.3 – 36.1 million] people living with HIV worldwide.
• 2.7 million [2.2 million to 3.2 million] people newly infected in 2007.
• 2.0 million [1.8 million – 2.3 million] people died of AIDS in 2007.

A new report, ‘AIDS Outlook‘, by UNAIDS calls on countries to realign HIV prevention programmes through understanding how the most recent HIV infections were transmitted, and understanding the reasons why they occurred.

“Not only will this approach help prevent the next 1,000 infections in each community, but it will also make money for AIDS work more effectively and help put forward a long term and sustainable AIDS response,” said UNAIDS Executive Director Dr Peter Piot.

Findings from countries that have conducted studies on the modes of transmission and developed incidence estimates have highlighted three broad trends: First, patterns of epidemics can change over time and therefore such analyses must be undertaken at regular intervals. Second, in many sub-Saharan African countries with HIV high prevalence, new infections occur mainly as a result of having multiple sex partners and among discordant couples, that is where one partner is HIV positive and one is HIV negative. And finally, in many countries, even with high HIV prevalence among the general population, substantial numbers of new infections might also occur in populations at higher risk of exposure to HIV, including sex workers and their clients, injecting drug users, and men who have sex with men—groups who often receive little attention in prevention initiatives.

“The results of the modes of transmission study have assisted us in understanding the key drivers of the epidemic in Lesotho,” said Keketso Sefeane, Chief Executive of the National AIDS Commission. “These results will provide input into the ongoing mid-term review of our National HIV and AIDS Strategic Plan”.

“We need the knowledge and experience of everything that offers us a better understanding of the epidemic so that we can act with more effectiveness and efficiency,” said Dr Joana Mangueira, Chief Executive of the National AIDS Coordinating Body of Mozambique.

Based on these analyses, UNAIDS calls upon countries to adopt a new approach – combination prevention – which involves choosing the right mix of behavioural, biomedical and structural HIV prevention actions and tactics to suit a country’s actual epidemic and the needs of those most at risk, just as the right combination and proportions of drugs for antiretroviral treatment is now saving millions of lives.
Read the report: AIDS Outlook (pdf)