The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) which causes AIDS has brought about a global epidemic far more extensive than what was predicted even a decade ago. The epidemic has claimed over 25 million lives so far. The Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) and the World Health Organization (WHO) now estimate that the number of people living with HIV or AIDS at the end of the year 2005 stands at 40.3 million. An estimated 4.9 million people acquired HIV in 2005. Approximately 3.1 million people died of AIDS in 2005.

AIDS is having a significant impact on families, economies, life expectancy and more. Regions greatly affected by HIV/AIDS are as follows:

Sub-Saharan Africa has been hit the hardest with 64% (25.8 million) of people in the world living with HIV/AIDS.

Yet they have only 10% of the world’s population. Six countries in the region have more than 20% of their population (ages 15-49) infected with HIV. The countries are:
 

More about HIV/ AIDS in Sub-Saharan Africa

There are over 2 million people living with HIV/AIDS in Latin America and the Caribbean. Approximately 240,000 people were newly infected with HIV in 2004. Haiti has the highest adult prevalence rate in the Caribbean with 5.6%. The Caribbean’s adult prevalence rate is second only to sub-Saharan Africa.

It is estimated that 1.6 million people are living with HIV/AIDS in this region. The epidemic is one of the fastest growing in the world. The Russian Federation has the largest number of people living with HIV/AIDS in the region, estimated at 860,000. The epidemic in this region is concentrated among young people.

An estimated 8.2 million people are living with HIV/AIDS in Asia. Concerns are greatest in China and India, two of the most populous nations in the world. Combined with Russia, they are considered part of the epidemic’s “next wave” even though their current prevalence rates are relatively low.

For more information about HIV/AIDS around the world, visit www.unaids.org.

(From HIV/AIDS Policy Fact Sheet: The Global HIV/AIDS Epidemic from The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, www.kff.org and UNAIDS, www.unaids.org.)