UN report: number of HIV sufferers reaches new high
Published: Wednesday 24 November 2004 - 08:30
In Short:
The number of people living with HIV has reached 39.4 million people worldwide - with high increases reported from EU's neighbouring Russia and Ukraine, according to an annual AIDS report.
Brief News:
The number of people living with HIV has reached its highest level ever, with approximately 39.4 million people infected all over the world, a UNAIDS / World Health Organisation (WHO) report has revealed. The highest increases in HIV infections in the last couple of years have been reported from East Asia, Eastern Europe and Central Asia.
According to the annual 'AIDS Epidemic Update', an increase in the number of infected individuals at the doorstep of the EU (in countries such as Ukraine and Russia) accounts for most of the 40 per cent increase in the Eastern European and Central Asian regions. The report claims that Russia has the worst epidemic in Europe, with 860,000 people living with HIV at the end of 2003.