38 million people infected with the HIV virus

AROUND 4.8 million people, the most ever recorded in a single year, became infected with HIV in 2003, a UN agency said as it warned that Eastern Europe and Asia were just behind Africa as the plum targets for AIDS.

Almost 38 million people across the world are living with the HIV virus, the most comprehensive study into the disease revealed yesterday. The UN report shows the spread of the illness is continuing to outpace global attempts to contain it, despite billions of pounds of funding.

The number of people living with HIV has risen in every region of the world and, last year, five million people were infected, more than in any previous year.

Officials believe extraordinary leadership must be shown in order to tackle what is described as "the development and security issue of our time". The figures from UNAIDS showed that the number of people living with the virus had risen from 35 million in 2001 to 38 million in 2003.

Dr Peter Piot, UNAIDS executive director, said: "Despite increased funding, political commitment and progress in expanding access to HIV treatment over the past two years, the AIDS epidemic continues to outpace the global response."

The report comes ahead of the XV International AIDS Conference later this month in Bangkok. It said that, since the 2002 meeting in Barcelona, more than nine million people had become infected and six million had died of AIDS.

The new report represents the most accurate picture of AIDS to date due to more comprehensive surveillance data and improved methods for estimating HIV rates.

While the report revises down the previous estimate for infections, it makes clear this is because of improved methodologies. The number of people with the disease continues to rise.

"These numbers represent the enormity of the challenge in both preventing millions of infections and treating those living with HIV," said Dr Piot. "Until we recognise AIDS as the development and security issue of our time, we will not succeed in beating the epidemic."

Asia was facing a "full-blown AIDS catastrophe" as the disease spread rapidly while, "equally alarming", Africa was continuing to show a rise in infections. Money is also a problem. Although global spending on AIDS has increased from $300 million in 1996 to just under $5 billion in 2003, less than half what would be needed in developing countries by next year. Estimates show they would need $12bn, rising to $20bn by 2007, for prevention and care.