World AIDS Day, December 1st 2006
World AIDS day is commemorated around the globe on December 1st. The theme of World AIDS day 2006 is Accountability and the World AIDS campaign for 2005-2010 is “Stop AIDS. Keep the Promise”. Further information on the World AIDS campaign and World AIDS Day 2006 can be found at http://www.worldaidscampaign.info/
Twenty five years after the first reported case of AIDS, the global AIDS epidemic continues to grow. According to the latest figures published by UNAIDS and the WHO in their 2006 AIDS Epidemic Update, an estimated 4.3 million people were newly infected in 2006 and there are now 39.5 million people living with HIV worldwide. In 2006, 2.9 million people died of AIDS-related illnesses. While Africa remains the global epicentre, no country is unaffected by the AIDS pandemic. Further information on the global HIV and AIDS pandemic can be found on the UNAIDS website www.unaids.org.
Reports on HIV and AIDS in Ireland can be accessed on the HPSC website at
http://www.hpsc.ie/hpsc/A-Z/HepatitisHIVAIDSandSTIs/HIVandAIDS/ . The latest report relates to Quarter 1&2 2006.