The AIDS epidemic is still in an early phase, and the number of cases of HIV in the worst-affected countries is climbing higher than previously believed possible, according to a major UNAIDS report.
About 68 million people are expected to die because of AIDS in the 45 most affected countries between 2000 and 2020. This is more than five times the 13 million deaths due to AIDS in the past 20 years in these countries.
Theories that the epidemic might level off in severely affected nations are being disproved, the report says. At present, less than four per cent of those in need of antiretroviral treatment in the developing world have access to those drugs.
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