“In the 25 years since the first case was reported, AIDS has changed the world. It has killed 25 million people and infected 40 million more. It has become the world’s leading cause of death among both women and men ages 15 to 59. It has inflicted the single greatest reversal in the history of human development. In other words, it has become the greatest challenge of our generation. For far too long, the world was in denial. But over the past 10 years, attitudes have changed. The world has started to take the fight against AIDS as seriously as it deserves.”

Kofi Annan, 1, December 2006

STATISTICS:
The latest statistics on the world epidemic of HIV and AIDS were published by UNAIDS/WHO in July 2008, and refer to the end of 2007.

Additional facts

• Nearly 7,500 new infections each day.
• Some 3 million people are now receiving antiretroviral treatment in low and middle-income countries.
• In part as a result of the scaling up in the past two years AIDS-related deaths have declined from 2.2  million to 2 million in 2007 [ranges: 1.9-2.6 million to 1.8-2.3 million].
• AIDS continues to be the leading cause of death in Africa which is home to 67% of all people living with HIV. In Africa, 60% of people living with HIV in the region are women and three out of four young people living with HIV are female.
• More than 25 million people have died of AIDS since 1981.
• Africa has 11.6 million AIDS orphans.
• At the end of 2007, women accounted for 50% of all adults living with HIV worldwide, and for 59% in sub-Saharan Africa.
• Young people (under 25 years old) account for half of all new HIV infections worldwide.
• in developing and transitional countries, 9.7 million people are in immediate need of life-saving AIDS drugs; of these, only 2.99 million (31%) are receiving the drugs.