Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2009. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.

Reuters NewMedia - July 22, 2009

Sub-Saharan Africa remains the region most heavily affected by HIV, accounting for two thirds of all people living with HIV and 75 percent of AIDS deaths in 2007.

* GLOBAL AIDS ROUNDUP:

-- Global deaths from AIDS reached an estimated 2 million in 2007, down from 2.1 million deaths in 2006.

-- Some 33 million people were living with immunodeficiency virus infections in 2007, most of them in Africa, according to the 2008 United Nations report on the AIDS epidemic.

-- The global percentage of adults living with HIV has levelled off since 2000. In virtually all regions outside sub-Saharan Africa, HIV disproportionately affects people who inject drugs, men who have sex with men, and sex workers.

* AIDS IN AFRICA:

-- An estimated 1.9 million people were newly infected with HIV in sub-Saharan Africa in 2007, bringing to 22 million the number of Africans living with HIV.

-- The nine countries in southern Africa continue to bear a disproportionate share of the global AIDS burden, with 35 percent of HIV infections and 38 percent of AIDS deaths in 2007 in the region.

* SOUTH AFRICA:

-- South Africa, with some 5.7 million people infected with HIV, represents the world's largest AIDS epidemic.

-- An estimated 500,000 people are infected each year and around 1,000 die every day from AIDS-related illnesses.

-- Reflecting similar trends from other countries in the region, young women in South Africa face greater risks of becoming infected than men: among 15 to 24-year-olds, they account for around 90 percent of new HIV infections.

* TREATMENT:

-- Nearly 3 million people were receiving antiretroviral treatment (ARV) in low and middle income countries at the end of 2007 which represents around 31 percent of global need and a 45 percent improvement over 2006.

-- Some countries have had notable success in increasing the treatment. Namibia had 1 percent ARV treatment in 2003 and 88 percent at the end of 2007. Rwanda likewise increased its treatment from 3 percent to 77 percent in the same period.

-- In Dec. 2007 around 2.1 million people were receiving ARV treatment in sub-Saharan Africa. UNAIDS has estimated that around 7 million people need the treatment in the region.

Sources: Reuters/UNAIDS/http://www.unaids.org/ (Writing by David Cutler, London Editorial Reference Unit)

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