Worldwide HIV rates slow: report

Worldwide HIV rates slow: report

Worldwide infection rates could have reached their peak in the late 1990s, and appear to have stabilised since then, according to a new UNAIDS report.But HIV prevention messages are still failing to reach those most at risk of infection, including men who have sex with men.The UNAIDS report released this week found nearly 39 million people were living with HIV around the world, BBC News reported.Around four million HIV infections occurred in 2005, and about three million people died from AIDS-related illness last year, the report said.It said the infection rate might have peaked in the late 1990s, as more funding for prevention programs and better access to anti-HIV medication took effect.In 2001, about 250,000 people in developing countries had access to anti-HIV drugs. By 2005, the number was 1.3 million.But the report said HIV was still an exceptional threat and only one-fifth of people who need HIV medication can get it.Current spending on HIV/AIDS was still inadequate, and many at-risk groups are still missing prevention messages.Only 9 percent of men who have sex with men receive any prevention information, according to the UNAIDS report.Sub-Saharan Africa remains the region most affected by HIV/AIDS, accounting for two-thirds of all people with HIV.Some Eastern European countries and Asian countries are also particularly badly affected.The UNAIDS report showed India had overtaken South Africa as the country with the most HIV-positive people.

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