HIV has killed 25m and infected 60m so far: UN report

Almost 60 million people have been infected by HIV and 25 million killed by causes related to the virus since the epidemic started, according to new data published by UNAIDS.

While prevention programmes have helped to cut the infection rate by 17% over past eight years,the total number of people living with HIV continued to rise in 2008. By the end of 2008, a total of 33.4 million people or 20 percent more people were living with the epidemic compared to in 2000, The UN figures say.

"The continuing rise in the population of people living with HIV reflects the combined effects of continued high rates of new HIV infections and the beneficial impact of anti-retroviral therapy." said UNAIDS in its report.

Sub-Saharan African remains the most affected region, as it is home to 67% of those living with the human immunodeficiency virus. In south and South-east Asia, 3.8 million people are living with the Infection, added UNAIDS.

AIDS virus weakening, says a study

LONDON: The HIV virus that causes AIDS, the fatal disease of the immune system, is becoming less aggressive, researchers have said in a landmark new study, amid surging speculation about the implications for the global fight against a pandemic that has killed an estimated 30 million people worldwide.

Researchers at the Institute of Tropical Medicine in Antwerp, Belgium, compared HIV-1 samples from 1986-89 and 2002-03 and found that 75 per cent of the newer samples appeared less fit than those of 15 years ago both in terms of spread within individuals and transmission to others.

Speaking to TOI from Antwerp, Dr Kevin Arien, who wrote the paper and is one of the lead researchers said: "From our study, based on 24 patient HIV-1 isolates, we have observed that historical viruses were more fit than recent HIV-1 isolates".

In layman's terms, explained Keith Alcorn, Senior Editor of National AIDS Manual, the UK's best scientific reference on HIV, that means "the virus is weakening and may be in 50 or a 100 years, it will adapt to living with its human host but cause less disease".

The study, titled 'Replicative fitness of historical and recent HIV-1 isolates suggests HIV-1 attenuation over time', is published in AIDS the official Journal of the International AIDS Society.

Source: Times of India (New Delhi)