The 2006 Global Report on the AIDS Epidemic has just been launched. It is the most comprehensive report on the response to AIDS ever compiled and includes updates on the status of the epidemic, as well as data for all countries. The Global Report also provides an assessment of country progress toward the six global targets set in the Declaration of Commitment on HIV. An estimated 38.6 million people are living with HIV worldwide and approximately 4.1 million people became newly infected with HIV in 2005. Please note that the new estimates are lower than the corresponding ones in the Epidemic Update of last December. UNAIDS attributes the lower estimates both to the decline in HIV prevalence in several countries as well as to the increased availability of reliable surveillance data.
