Closer to home, the latest UNAIDS report ‘€“ AIDS Epidemic Update ‘€“ suggests that because of South Africa’€™s relatively recent epidemic, and taking current trends into account, AIDS deaths will continue to increase rapidly over the next five years at least.

‘€œIn short, the worst still lies ahead,’€ the report concluded.

However, it points out that a speedily realised national antiretroviral programme could significantly cushion the country against the impact.

The UNAIDS report confirms that Sub-Saharan Africa remains by far the region worst affected by the HIV/AIDS epidemic.

UNAIDS estimates that 26,6 million people in this region are living with HIV, including 3,2 million who became infected during the past year. AIDS killed about 2,3 million people in 2003.

The report also found that unlike women in other regions of the world, African women were considerably more likely ‘€“ at least 1,2 times ‘€“ to be infected with HIV than men. Among young people aged 15 to 24 this ratio is highest: women were found to be two-and-a-half times as likely to be HIV infected as their male counterparts.

UNAIDS attributed these discrepancies to several factors. It includes the biological fact that HIV generally is more easily transmitted from men to women (than vice versa). Sexual activity also tends to start earlier for women, and young women tend to have sex with much older partners.

HIV prevalence was also found to vary considerably across the continent, ranging from less than 1% in Mauritania to almost 40% in Botswana and Swaziland. More than one in five pregnant women are HIV infected in most countries in Southern Africa, while elsewhere in sub-Saharan Africa average HIV prevalence in antenatal clinics exceed 10% in a few countries.

To access the full report go to www.unaids.org