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 | This article needs to be updated. The reason given is: Many sections seem to have been written around or before 2010. (July 2023) |
| HIV/AIDS Epidemic | |
|---|---|
 A world map illustrating the proportion of population infected with HIV in 2019 | |
| Disease | HIV/AIDS |
| Virus strain | HIV |
| Source | Non-human primates[1] |
| Location | Worldwide |
| First outbreak | June 5, 1981[2] |
| Date | 1981 – present (42 years and 11 months) |
| Confirmed cases | 64.8 million – 113 million (2022)[3] |
Deaths | 40.4 million total deaths (2022)[3] |
The global pandemic of HIV/AIDS (human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome) began in 1981, and is an ongoing worldwide public health issue.[4][5][6] According to the World Health Organization (WHO), by 2023, HIV/AIDS had killed approximately 40.4 million people, and approximately 39 million people were infected with HIV globally.[4] Of these, 29.8 million people (75%) are receiving antiretroviral treatment.[4] There were about 630,000 deaths from HIV/AIDS in 2022.[4] The 2015 Global Burden of Disease Study estimated that the global incidence of HIV infection peaked in 1997 at 3.3 million per year. Global incidence fell rapidly from 1997 to 2005, to about 2.6 million per year.[7] Incidence of HIV has continued to fall, decreasing by 23% from 2010 to 2020, with progress dominated by decreases in Eastern Africa and Southern Africa.[8] As of 2020[update], there are approximately 1.5 million new infections of HIV per year globally.[9]
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the prevalence of HIV in the Africa Region was estimated at 1.1 million people as of 2018.[10] The African Region accounts for two thirds of the incidence of HIV around the world.[10] Sub-Saharan Africa is the region most affected by HIV. In 2018, an estimated 61% of new HIV infections occurred in this region,[11] and as of 2020, more than two thirds of those living with HIV are living in Africa.[4] HIV rates have been decreasing in the region: From 2010 to 2020, new infections in eastern and southern Africa fell by 38%.[8] Still, South Africa has the largest population of people with HIV of any country in the world, at 8.45 million,[12] 13.9%[13] of the population as of 2022. As of 2022, it is estimated that the adult HIV prevalence rate is 6.2%, a 1.2% increase from data reported in the 2011 UNAIDS World Aids Day Report.[14][15]
In western Europe and North America, most people with HIV are able to access treatment and live long and healthy lives.[16] As of 2020, 88% of people living with HIV in this region know their HIV status, and 67% have suppressed viral loads.[16] In 2019, approximately 1.2 million people in the United States had HIV; 13% did not realize that they were infected.[17] In Canada as of 2016, there were about 63,110 cases of HIV.[18][19] In 2020, 106,890 people were living with HIV in the UK and 614 died (99 of these from COVID-19 comorbidity).[20] In Australia, as of 2020, there were about 29,090 cases.[21]
Throughout the world, HIV disproportionately affects certain key populations (sex workers and their clients, men who have sex with men, people who inject drugs, and transgender people) and their sexual partners. These groups account for 65% of global HIV infections, and 93% of new infections outside of sub-Saharan Africa.[9] In Western Europe and North America, men who have sex with men account for almost two thirds of new HIV infections.[16]
In Sub-Saharan Africa, 63% of new infections are women, with young women (aged 15 to 24 years) twice as likely as men of the same age to be living with HIV.[9]
HIV originated in nonhuman primates in Central Africa and jumped to humans several times in the late 19th or early 20th century.[22][23][24] One reconstruction of its genetic history suggests that HIV-1 group M, the strain most responsible for the global epidemic, may have originated in Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, around 1920.[25][26] AIDS was first recognized in 1981, and in 1983 the HIV virus was discovered and identified as the cause of AIDS.[27][28][29]
Global HIV data
Since the first case of HIV/AIDS reported in 1981, this virus continues to be one of the most prevalent and deadliest pandemics worldwide. The Center for Disease Control mentions that the HIV disease continues to be a serious health issue for several parts of the world. Worldwide, there were about 1.7 million new cases of HIV reported in 2018. About 37.9 million people were living with HIV around the world in 2018, and 24.5 million of them were receiving medicines to treat HIV, called antiretroviral therapy (ART). In addition, roughly an estimated 770,000 people have died from AIDS-related illnesses in 2018.[30]
Although AIDS is a global disease, the CDC reports that Sub-Saharan Africa has the highest prevalence of HIV and AIDS worldwide, and accounts for approximately 61% of all new HIV infections. Other regions significantly affected by HIV and AIDS include Asia and the Pacific, Latin America and the Caribbean, Eastern Europe, and Central Asia.[30]
Worldwide there is a common stigma and discrimination surrounding HIV/AIDS. Respectively, infected patients are more subject to judgement, harassment, and acts of violence and come from marginalized areas where it is common to engage in illegal practices in exchange for money, drugs, or other exchangeable forms of currency.[31]
AVERT, an international HIV and AIDS charity created in 1986, makes continuous efforts to prioritize, normalize, and provide the latest information and education programs on HIV and AIDS for individuals and areas most affected by this disease worldwide. AVERT suggested that discrimination and other human rights violations may occur in health care settings, barring people from accessing health services or enjoying quality health care.[32]
Accessibility to tests have also played a significant role in the response and speed to which nations take action. Approximately 81% of people with HIV globally knew their HIV status in 2019. The remaining 19% (about 7.1 million people) still need access to HIV testing services. HIV testing is an essential gateway to HIV prevention, treatment, care and support services.[33] It is crucial to have HIV tests available for individuals worldwide since it can help individuals detect the status of their disease from an early onset, seek help, and prevent further spread through the practice of suggestive safety precautions. Testing can be done for those between the ages of 13 and 64. The CDC recommends testing for HIV at least once for routine health care. HIV tests have a high accuracy and the tests come in the form of antibody tests, antigen/antibody tests, and NATS (nucleic acid test).[34]
There were approximately 38 million people across the globe with HIV/AIDS in 2019. Of these, 36.2 million were adults and 1.8 million were children under 15 years old.[35]
| Year | Deaths due to HIV/AIDS globally[36] | HIV Infection Incidence Rate globally[37] | HIV Infection Prevalence Rate Globally[37] |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 336 387 | 2 100 000 | 8 500 000 |
| 1995 | 939 400 | 3 200 000 | 18 600 000 |
| 2000 | 1 560 000 | 2 900 000 | 26 000 000 |
| 2005 | 1 830 000 | 2 500 000 | 28 500 000 |
| 2010 | 1 370 000 | 2 200 000 | 30 800 000 |
| 2015 | 1 030 000 | 1 900 000 | 34 400 000 |
| 2021[38] | 650 000 | 1 500 000 | 38 400 000 |
Historical data for selected countries
HIV/AIDS in World from 2001 to 2014 – adult prevalence – data from CIA World Factbook[39]
| HIV in World in 2014 | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Region/Country | 2014 | 2013 | 2012 | 2009 | 2007 | 2003 | 2001 | |
| World | 0.79% | NA | 0.8% | 0.8% | 0.8% | NA | NA | |
| Africa | ||||||||
| North Africa | ||||||||
| Sudan | 0.25% | 0.24% | NA | 1.1% | 1.4% | NA | 2.3% | |
| Egypt | 0.02% | 0.02% | NA | <0.1% | NA | NA | <0.1% | |
| Libya | NA | NA | 0.3% | NA | NA | NA | 0.3% | |
| Tunisia | 0.04% | 0.05% | NA | <0.1% | <0.1% | <0.1% (2005) | NA | |
| Algeria | 0.04% | 0.1% | NA | 0.1% | 0.1% | NA | 0.1% | |
| Morocco | 0.14% | 0.16% | NA | 0.1% | 0.1% | NA | 0.1% | |
| Mauritania | 0.92% | NA | 0.4% | 0.7% | 0.8% | 0.6% | NA | |
| Western Africa | ||||||||
| Senegal | 0.53% | 0.46% | NA | 0.9% | 1% | 0.8% | NA | |
| The Gambia | 1.82% | 1.2% | NA | 2% | 0.9% | 1.2% | NA | |
| Guinea Bissau | 3.69% | 3.74% | NA | 2.5% | 1.8% | 10% | NA | |
| Guinea | 1.55% | 1.74% | NA | 1.3% | 1.6% | 3.2% | NA | |
| Sierra Leone | 1.4% | 1.55% | NA | 1.6% | 1.7% | NA | 7% | |
| Liberia | 1.17% | 1.09% | NA | 1.5% | 1.7% | 5.9% | NA | |
| Cote d'Ivore | 3.46% | 2.67% | NA | 3.4% | 3.9% | 7% | NA | |
| Ghana | 1.47% | 1.3% | NA | 1.8% | 1.9% | 3.1% | NA | |
| Togo | 2.4% | 2.33% | NA | 3.2% | 3.3% | 4.1% | NA | |
| Benin | 1.14% | 1.13% | NA | 1.2% | 1.2% | 1.9% | NA | |
| Nigeria | 3.17% | 3.17% | NA | 3.6% | 3.1% | 5.4% | NA | |
| Niger | 0.49% | 0.4% | NA | 0.8% | 0.8% | 1.2% | NA | |
| Burkina Faso | 0.94% | NA | 1% | 1.2% | 1.6% | 4.2% | NA | |
| Mali | 1.42% | 0.86% | NA | 1% | 1.5% | 1.9% | NA | |
| Cape Verde | 1.09% | 0.47% | NA | NA | NA | NA | 0.04% | |
| Central Africa | ||||||||
| Chad | 2.53% | 2.48% | NA | 3.4% | 3.5% | 4.8% | NA | |
| Cameroon | 4.77% | 4.27% | NA | 5.3% | 5.1% | 6.9% | NA | |
| Central African Republic | 4.25% | 3.82% | NA | 4.7% | 6.3% | 13.5% | NA | |
| São Tomé and Príncipe | 0.78% | 0.64% | NA | NA | NA | NA | NA | |
| Equatorial Guinea | 6.16% | NA | 6.2% | 5% | 3.4% | NA | 3.4% | |
| Gabon | 3.91% | 3.9% | NA | 5.2% | 5.9% | 8.1% | NA | |
| Republic of the Congo | 2.75% | 2.49% | NA | 3.4% | 3.5% | 4.9% | NA | |
| Democratic Republic of the Congo | 1.04% | 1.08% | NA | NA | NA | 4.2% | NA | |
| Angola | 2.41% | 2.35% | NA | 2% | 2.1% | 3.9% | NA | |
| Eastern Africa | ||||||||
| Eritrea | 0.68% | 0.62% | NA | 0.8% | 1.3% | 2.7% | NA | |
| Djibouti | 1.59% | 0.91% | NA | 2.5% | 3.1% | 2.9% | NA | |
| Somalia | 0.55% | 0.53% | NA | 0.7% | 0.5% | NA | 1% | |
| Ethiopia | 1.15% | 1.2% | NA | NA | 2.1% | 4.4% | NA | |
| South Sudan | 2.71% | 2.24% | NA | 3.1% | NA | NA | NA | |
| Kenya | 5.3% | 6.04% | NA | 6.3% | NA | 6.7% | NA | |
| Uganda | 7.25% | 7.44% | NA | 6.5% | 5.4% | 4.1% | NA | |
| Rwanda | 2.82% | 2.85% | NA | 2.9% | 2.8% | 5.1% | NA | |
| Burundi | 1.11% | 1.03% | NA | 3.3% | 2% | 6% | NA | |
| Tanzania | 5.34% | 4.95% | NA | 5.6% | 6.2% | 8.8% | NA | |
| Malawi | 10.04% | 10.25% | NA | 11% | 11.9% | 14.2% | NA | |
| Mozambik | 10.58% | 10.75% | NA | 11.5% | 12.5% | 12.2% | NA | |
| Zambia | 12.37% | 12.5% | NA | 13.5% | 15.2% | 16.5% | NA | |
| Zimbabwe | 16.74% | 14.99% | NA | 14.3% | 15.3% | NA | 24.6% | |
| Madagascar | 0.29% | 0.4% | NA | 0.2% | 0.1% | 1.7% | NA | |
| Comoros | NA | NA | 0.1% | 0.1% | <0.1% | NA | 0.12% | |
| Mauritius | 0.92% | 1.1% | NA | 1% | 1.7% | NA | 0.1% | |
| Southern Africa | ||||||||
| Namibia | 15.97% | 14.3% | NA | 13.1% | 15.3% | 21.3% | NA | |
| Botswana | 25.16% | 21.86% | NA | 24.8% | 23.9% | 37.3% | NA | |
| Eswatini | 27.73% | 27.36% | NA | 25.9% | 26.1% | 38.8% | NA | |
| Lesotho | 23.39% | 22.95% | NA | 23.6% | 23.2% | 28.9% | NA | |
| South Africa | 18.92% | 19.05% | NA | 17.8% | 18.1% | 21.5% | NA | |
| Asia | ||||||||
| Western Asia | ||||||||
| Georgia | 0.28% | 0.27% | NA | 0.1% | <0.1% | NA | <0.1% | |
