Report Shows AIDS Epidemic Slowdown in 2005

NY Times ^ | May 31, 2006 | LAWRENCE K. ALTMAN

[neverdem]

UNITED NATIONS, May 30 — New surveys suggest that the global AIDS epidemic has begun to slow, with a decline in new H.I.V. infections in about 10 countries, the leader of the United Nations AIDS program said Tuesday.

Outside of those countries — which include Haiti, Cambodia, Kenya and Zimbabwe — the number of new AIDS infections continues to rise or hover at its current pace. Meanwhile, public health efforts are reaching only a small proportion of people at risk, Dr. Peter Piot, the executive director of Unaids, said at a news conference here on Tuesday.

"It's a very complex epidemic," he said. "We can no longer talk about AIDS" as a single epidemic, but as many diverse ones.

India, for example, is at about the same level as South Africa as the country with the largest number of H.I.V. infections. India has 5.7 million infected people and South Africa 5.5 million, but India's population is far greater. Showing no sign of decline, South Africa has a prevalence rate of about 19 percent of 47 million people. In India, the rate is less than 1 percent of its population of 1.1 billion.

The progress against AIDS in some regions represents dividends from a surge in financing since 2001, when the United Nations pledged its commitment to stem the epidemic by 2010. That declaration called for countries to report regularly on their responses to AIDS. This week, the General Assembly will review the progress that 126 countries have said they have made.

The report, the most comprehensive survey ever compiled from country data, pointed to the 2001 United Nations meeting as a turning point for AIDS financing. In 2005, the United States and the rest of the world spent $8.3 billion on AIDS, compared with $1.6 billion in 2001.

[neverdem]

[upchuck]

If we did nothing about HIV or AIDS, both diseases would eventually burn themselves out.

I wonder how many other diseases are like that?

[neverdem]

If we did nothing about HIV or AIDS, both diseases would eventually burn themselves out.

I seriously doubt that. Forget all the ignorance in the rest of the world. Just look at the numbers in this country.

http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/topics/surveillance/resources/reports/index.htm

[upchuck]

I wrote: If we did nothing about HIV or AIDS, both diseases would eventually burn themselves out.

Then you wrote: I seriously doubt that. Forget all the ignorance in the rest of the world. Just look at the numbers in this country.

Okay. Now stop and think about this for a minute.

What activities cause AIDS/HIV?

Do you have AIDS/HIV?

If not, why not?

Suppose ALL research on a cure for AIDS/HIV stopped.

Suppose ALL treatment of existing AIDS/HIV cases stopped.

Now, how long would it be before there were no more people with AIDS/HIV?

[neverdem]

I thought conservatives appreciated the follies of human nature. Has there been a Divine intervention that I'm too dense to recognize? Why won't there be any new infections, including in those who are completely innocent of any sort of moral transgression because they were betrayed by their faith in their loved ones?

[upchuck]

Why won't there be any new infections, including in those who are completely innocent of any sort of moral transgression because they were betrayed by their faith in their loved ones?

I'm not saying there won't be. But eventually, AIDS/HIV would disappear.