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Fighting TUBERCULOSIS | Fighting MALARIA | |
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As of mid 2008, with Global Fund resources...
This page has been updated to report results from Global Fund-supported programs. The statistics shown here are the aggregated results from individual programs supported by the Global Fund in 136 countries.
See a listing of all our funded AIDS Programs
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The Global HIV/AIDS Epidemic
- Around 40 million people worldwide are infected with HIV, 95% of whom live in developing countries. In 2004, approximately five million people were newly infected with the virus.
- HIV/AIDS has killed more than 20 million people worldwide. 3.1 million people died of AIDS-related causes in 2004.
- AIDS is the leading cause of death in Africa and the fourth-leading cause of death worldwide.
- In 2004, approximately 1.2 million women and 510,000 children under the age of 15 died of AIDS-related causes.
- Women are increasingly affected by HIV/AIDS. Globally almost 50% of adults living with HIV/AIDS are women.
- An estimated 10.3 million young people ages 15-24 are living with HIV/AIDS. Half of all new HIV infections - almost 6,000 infections per day - occur among young people.
- More than 13 million children under the age of 15 have been orphaned by HIV/AIDS, and this number is projected to double by 2010.
Regional
Impact
- Sub-Saharan Africa. Sub-Saharan Africa is the world's worst-affected region. Seventy percent of all people infected with HIV live in sub-Saharan Africa, even though it is home to only 11% of the world's overall population. In 2004, an estimated 3.1 million people in the region were newly infected with HIV.
- The Caribbean. After sub-Saharan Africa, the Caribbean is the next hardest-hit region as measured by HIV/AIDS prevalence. In Haiti, for example, the national adult HIV prevalence rate is estimated at around 5.5%.
- Eastern Europe. Eastern Europe continues to experience the fastest-growing HIV/AIDS epidemic in the world, with 210,000 new infections in 2004 - bringing the total number of HIV-positive people in the region to approximately 1.4 million.
- Asia and the Pacific. In Asia and the Pacific, approximately 7 million people are living with HIV/AIDS. Three countries, Cambodia, Myanmar and Thailand, have HIV prevalence rates above 1% among 15 to 49 year olds.
- AIDS was declared a development crisis by the World Bank in 2000. It is estimated that per capita growth in half of the countries in sub-Saharan Africa is falling by 0.5%-1.2% each year as a direct result of AIDS. By 2010, per capita GDP in some of the hardest-hit countries may drop by 8% and per capita consumption may fall even farther.
- Health care systems in many countries are overwhelmed by a growing number of HIV/AIDS patients. Studies forecast that health care costs in hardest hit countries may increase tenfold over the next several years as a result of the epidemic.
- HIV/AIDS overburdens social systems and hinders educational development. Across Sub-Saharan Africa, for example, the disease is claiming the lives of thousands of teachers and leading to school closures.
- The epidemic also inhibits agricultural production in many areas by reducing investments in irrigation, soil enhancement, and other capital improvements.
Prevention
and Care
- There is abundant evidence that science-based HIV prevention is effective,
especially when backed by high-level political leadership, a national AIDS
programme, adequate funding, and strong community involvement. Components
of successful prevention efforts include clear and accurate communication
about HIV/AIDS and methods to prevent infection, HIV counseling and testing,
and treatment of sexually transmitted infections.
- The vast majority of people living with HIV/AIDS in the developing world do not have access to treatment, as a result of limited health care infrastructures and the high cost of many medications.
- It has been estimated that a total of US$7-10 billion a year is needed from all sources to address the HIV/AIDS epidemic in low and middle-income countries.
Portions of this fact sheet are reproduced with permission from UNAIDS and the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation.
