The global challenge of HIV and AIDS.

The AIDS epidemic may be the most devastating health disaster in human history. The disease continues to ravage families and communities throughout the world. In addition to the 25 million people who had died of AIDS by the end of 2005 at least 40 million people are now living with HIV. An estimated 4.9 million people were newly infected with HIV in 2005--95 percent of them in sub-Saharan Africa Eastern Europe or Asia. While some areas have successfully slowed the epidemic it is surging in others. In the most-affected regions hard-earned improvements in health over the last 50 years have been overwhelmed by death and disability from AIDS. The disease is crippling progress at the personal family community and national levels. In severely affected nations economic growth and political stability are also threatened. Sub-Saharan Africa is the hardest hit region in the world. More Africans die of AIDS-related illness than of any other cause. South Africa has the largest number of people living with HIV--between 4.5 million and 6.2 million. Swaziland has the highest adult HIV prevalence rate: More than 38 percent of adults are infected with HIV. (excerpt)