AIDS in Africa

AIDS is becoming one of the most important problems of the modern world. According to “AIDS Epidemic Update 2000” and the World Health Organization (WHO), the current number of people living with HIV or AIDS is 36.1 million, more than 50% higher than predicted in 1991. And this number is increasing every day, hour and minute. The greatest number of inhabitants sick with AIDS or HIV live in Africa. Over17 million Africans have already died of AIDS-three times the number of AIDS deaths in the rest of the world,
orphaning 10 million or more African children. “The AIDS situation in Africa is catastrophic and sub-Saharan Africa continues to head the list as the world’s most affected region,” said Peter Piot, Executive Director of UNAIDS. According to his report, estimated 3.8 million people became infected with HIV in sub –Saharan Africa during the year, bringing the total number of people living with HIV/AIDS in the region to 25.3 million, or almost a million more than in 1999.