UN REPORTS 5 MILLION NEW HIV CASES IN 2003
10 July 2004
Even while other diseases are sweeping into the headlines (Malaria - Polio - SARS - West Nile), the UN reports that HIV, the AIDS virus, is spreading faster than ever. According to the new report, the UN found 5 million new cases of HIV infection worldwide during 2003. That's the highest number of new infections for any single year since the virus was discovered.
The study also finds that 90% of those in desperate need of treatment are not receiving any. Even prevention measures are only accessible to 1 in 5, in the most at-risk populations. As a result, 3 million people were killed by AIDS during 2003, and the virus is spreading in all parts of the world.
The disease is penetrating especially deeply into eastern Asia and Russia, creating new hot-zones, though the vast majority of infections remain in subsaharan Africa, where health measures are the most scarce. The study also predicts 10 million new cases in Asia by 2010, without aggressive action to prevent the disease's advance.
There are also some successes. According to the Detroit Free Press,
Despite increased flow of international funding, the cost of combatting the virus has gone up, now estimated at $12 billion per year, as delayed treatment has let to a higher number of more serious advanced cases, and the disease's virtually unchecked spread in some regions. [For more: Detroit Free Press]
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