The UNAIDS 2004 report highlights the global and regional estimates on HIV/AIDS and new trends in the epidemic. "The prevalence is still rising in some countries such as Madagascar and Swaziland, and is declining nationwide in Uganda," primarily because of that nation's promotion of sexual abstinence and marital fidelity.

According to the HIV/AIDS epidemic update report, the number of women living with HIV has risen in each region of the world over the past 2 years. "Women are increasingly affected, now making nearly half of the 37.2 million adults aged between 15 to 29 living with HIV/AIDS world wide, in sub-Saharan region, close to 60 per cent (13.3 million.”.

An estimated 25 million people are living with HIV/AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa. This region is the home to just over 10 percent of the world's population.

Meanwhile, the number of HIV/AIDS cases in China is increasing at a rapid rate of 40 percent a year, a health ministry official was cited as saying by the China Times. The official, who was not named, said China had become the second worst-hit country in Asia and the 14th in the world, the newspaper reported. Until now, official figure shows that China has an estimated 840,000 HIV/AIDS sufferers…

The United Nations warned that China could have 10 million cases by 2010 if action is not taken. Since AIDS was first detected in China in 1985, an estimated 160,000 people have died. Many HIV/AIDS patients were infected by contaminated blood in illegal blood-selling operations in the 1980s and 1990s. Intravenous drug use, prostitution and ignorance about the disease are also cited as big problems in its spread. [The report was released in advance of World AIDS Day, 1Dec. BBC Worldwide Monitoring, 11/24/04; CHINAdaily.com, 11/30/04; Abstinence Clearinghouse, 1Dec04]