Record 40 million infected with HIV

The global HIV epidemic has reached its highest level yet with almost 40 million people now infected, a report revealed today.

The United Nations and the World Health Organisation said there were 4.9 million people newly infected with the virus in 2004 – up from 4.5 million in 2002.

The Aids Epidemic Update report shows that an estimated 39.4 million people around the world were now carrying HIV, an increase from 36.6 million in 2002.

Experts fear many people with HIV are not aware of it.

The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/Aids (UN AIDS) said the number of women living with HIV had risen in each region of the world in the past two years.

Women now make up nearly half of the 37.2 million adults, aged 15 to 49, with HIV world-wide.

The figures came as the UK’s Health Protection Agency prepared to release figures on HIV infections and other sexually transmitted diseases.

The British government is to launch a new drive to tackle soaring rates of sexually transmitted infections in the UK.

Campaigner and actress Emma Thompson, who has visited Africa to see the plight of people living with HIV, said it was “the great catastrophe the human race as ever faced.

“This is something that is going on here and now.

“If we don’t act there are some countries where girls will be an endangered species.

“They will disappear off the face of the Earth,” Thompson said at the launch of the report in London.

The actress believed the UK government had “taken its eye off the ball” in tackling HIV infections and the time was right for a major new campaign.