The ongoing spread of HIV in the world's hardest-hit regions,
particularly sub-Saharan Africa is reversing years of declining death rates, causing drastic rises in mortality among young adults.
While the epidemic is stabilizing in many high-income countries, as well as in a handful of developing nations, HIV prevalence rates among 15-49-year-olds have now reached or exceeded 10% in 16 countries, all of them in sub-Saharan Africa.
In countries such as South Africa and Zimbabwe, where a fifth or
a quarter of the adult population is infected, AIDS is set to claim the lives of around half of all 15-year-olds.
Estimated prevalence rates greatly understate the demographic
impact of AIDS.
In Botswana, which has the highest HIV-prevalence rate in the
world, with about one in three adults already HIV-infected, it is
estimated that two thirds of todays 15-year old boys will die prematurely of AIDS.
Peter Piot, Executive Director of UNAIDS, speaking at the launch
of the report warned: "The AIDS toll in hard-hit countries is altering the economic and social fabric of society. We need to
respond to the crisis on a massively different scale from what has
been done so far."
In sub-Saharan Africa, UNAIDS and the World Health Organisation
estimate that 24.5 million adults and children are now living with
HIV.
In a press release issued today, the International AIDS Society
(IAS) has reaffirmed its commitment to "increase and optimize efforts for designing prevention and care strategies that are
tailored to the needs of the countries at the very epicentre of the epidemic."
Mark Wainberg, President of IAS stated this was the main goal
and commitment in choosing Africa for the forthcoming international
AIDS Conference in Durban on 9-14 July.