UNAIDS Global Aids Report 2006

Brussels, 30 May 2006: Although important progress has been made, the spread of AIDS continues to outpace response, says new UNAIDS report.

The report states that 65 million people have been infected and 25 million have died of AIDS since the disease was first discovered in 1981. According to the report there is now increasingly evidence on how to treat and prevent the epidemic and more knowledge on where and how HIV is moving, yet significant challenges remain. Among these are the need for improved planning, sustained leadership and reliable long-term funding for the AIDS response. However, among the bright spots are increased uses of condoms, increases in funding and access to treatment, an increasing number of schools provide HIV and AIDS education, and blood for use in transfusions is now routinely screened for HIV in most countries.

Yet, an estimated 38.6 million people is today living with HIV worldwide and 2.8 million died of AIDS in 2005. The report calls for sustained and increased funding and more aggressive actions towards AIDS-related stigma and discrimination.