UNAIDS - November 10, 2008

For more than a decade, the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) and the World Health Organization (WHO), have produced a detailed report titled "AIDS Epidemic Update" prior to World AIDS Day that provided the most recent epidemiological figures and trends for the current year.

However the estimates of new HIV infections, deaths due to AIDS, and number of people living with HIV are now more and more affected by information coming from HIV services including HIV treatment coverage and prevention of mother to child transmission programmes. This information is usually made available after the year ends, meaning that it is no longer possible to provide credible estimates of a current year.

So this year it has been decided not to publish a new "AIDS Epidemic Update" in 2008. Instead UNAIDS/WHO plan to publish an AIDS Epidemic Update in 2009 that will report on 2008 estimates, incorporating the 2008 programme coverage data.

This change in reporting cycle was endorsed by leading epidemiologists during the International Consultation on Epidemiological Estimates organised by UNAIDS in November 2007.

For epidemiological information about the AIDS epidemic, please refer to UNAIDS' Report on the global AIDS epidemic 2008.

081110
UN081107

Copyright © 2008 - Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS). All rights reserved. UNAIDS articles, which are not formal publications of UNAIDS, may be freely reviewed, quoted, reproduced or translated, in part or in full, provided the source is acknowledged. The documents may not be sold or used in conjunction with commercial purposes without prior written approval from UNAIDS (contact: UNAIDS Information Centre).

AEGiS is a 501(c)3, not-for-profit, tax-exempt, educational corporation. AEGiS is made possible through unrestricted funding from the Elton John AIDS Foundation, National Library of Medicine, AIDS Walk of Orange County, and donations from users like you.

Always watch for outdated information. This article first appeared in 2008. 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, 2008. 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. .