Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 1996. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
The Associated Press - November 28, 1996 4.12 am EST (0912 GMT)
In 1996, 3.1 million people were infected with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, bringing the total of people with HIV or AIDS to 22.6 million, UNAIDS said in a report released in connection with World AIDS Day.
Nearly a quarter of the 6.4 million total HIV-AIDS deaths to date occurred in the past year, due to the natural progression of the epidemic and the number of years it takes for HIV to develop into AIDS, the report said.
"The HIV epidemic is far from over, and in fact continues to strengthen its grip on the world's most vulnerable populations,'' said UNAIDS executive director Dr. Peter Piot.
The report also noted that cases of HIV are exploding among women, children and previously unaffected areas of central and eastern Europe and Asia.
Ninety percent of people with HIV or acquired immune deficiency syndrome live in developing countries and lack access to treatment or the means to pay for it, UNAIDS said in its report, titled "HIV-AIDS: The Global Epidemic.''
"The only true hope for the entire world is prevention -- education efforts, new forms of protection, and development of a vaccine,'' the report said.
According to the report, most of the 2.7 million newly infected adults are under 25. Nearly 50 percent of new infections now occur among women, it said.
There were 400,000 new cases of HIV among children in 1996, bringing the total number of children with HIV or AIDS to 830,000.
Sub-Saharan Africa, with 14 million cases or 63 percent of the world total, remains the worst affected region. While cases are still low in central and eastern Europe, HIV is spreading quickly, due partly to a boom in drug abuse and other sexually transmitted diseases.
In Nikolayev on the Black Sea in the Ukraine, the proportion of HIV cases among those injecting drugs rocketed from 1.7 percent in January 1995 to 56.5 percent 11 months later, the report said.
In the Russian port of Kaliningrad, the number of reported HIV cases has increased from 21 to 387 since January.
"These countries, which continue to struggle through profound social change, do not have the infrastructure in place to provide essential services and prevention programs,'' Piot said. "The word about HIV is not getting out to populations at risk.''
The report cited figures from the Chinese Academy of Preventive Medicine that showed the number of HIV sufferers in China grew from 10,000 at the end of 1993 to 100,000 by the end of 1995.
In Latin America and the Caribbean, epidemics are growing among women and adolescents, the report said. A study of patients at sexually transmitted disease clinics in Sao Paulo, Brazil, showed HIV rates among male patients were stable between 1993 and 1994, while female rates may have soared more than fivefold.
961128
AP9611AA
Copyright © 1996 - Associated Press. Reproduction of this article (other than one copy for personal reference) must be cleared through the AP Permissions Desk.
AEGiS is a 501(c)3, not-for-profit, tax-exempt, educational corporation. AEGiS is made possible through unrestricted funding from Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, Elton John AIDS Foundation, National Library of Medicine, Pacific Life Foundation, and donations from users like you.
Always watch for outdated information. This article first appeared in 1996. This material is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between you and your doctor.
AEGiS presents published material, reprinted with permission and neither endorses nor opposes any material. All information contained on this website, including information relating to health conditions, products, and treatments, is for informational purposes only. It is often presented in summary or aggregate form. It is not meant to be a substitute for the advice provided by your own physician or other medical professionals. Always discuss treatment options with a doctor who specializes in treating HIV.
Copyright ©1980, 1996. AEGiS. All materials appearing on AEGiS are protected by copyright as a collective work or compilation under U.S. copyright and other laws and are the property of AEGiS, or the party credited as the provider of the content. .