Brussels, 30/11/2009 (Agence Europe) - On the eve of World AIDS Day 2009 (1 December), the European Commission has announced that it has invested over €1 billion to tackle AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria. As a founding member of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, the European Commission has to date pledged €1,072.5 million over the period 2002-2010, a press release says.
Since the beginning of the epidemic, almost 60 million people have been infected with HIV and 25 million people have died of AIDS-related causes. Although important progress has been achieved in preventing new HIV infections and in lowering the annual number of AIDS-related deaths, AIDS continues to be a major global health priority. The number of people living with HIV worldwide continued to grow in 2008, reaching a total of 33.4 million. In 2008, 2.7 million people became newly infected, and 2 million people died from AIDS-related causes. The epidemic appears to have stabilised in most regions, although prevalence is continuing to increase in Eastern Europe and Central Asia and in other parts of Asia due to a high rate of new infections. Sub-Saharan Africa remains the most heavily affected region, accounting for 71% of all new HIV infections in 2008. 14.1 million children in sub-Saharan Africa have lost one or both parents to AIDS, and AIDS remains the top killer in the region. (O.J./transl.rt)