There had still been no dramatic increase in HIV

There had still been no dramatic increase in HIV transmission in Cuba since the beginning of the epidemic. The rate of infection was 0.03% and thought to be one of the lowest in the world. There had been virtually no transmission of HIV through injecting drug use, blood transfusion or from mother to child. The government had ensured that all HIV-positive mothers were treated with prophylactic AZT therapy and that their babies were delivered by caesarean section. The country had produced enough antiretrovirals to supply the country's patients.⁸

Globally the epidemic continued to expand, reducing world population estimates by 0.4 billion to 8.9 billion for 2050.

"The long-term impact of the epidemic remains dire… HIV/AIDS is a disease of mass destruction and we do not see a vaccine coming soon."Joseph Chamie, director of the UNPD -⁹

An expert group reaffirmed that unsafe sexual practices were responsible for the majority of HIV infections in sub-Saharan Africa. This announcement was a response to claims made in 2002 that unsafe medical practises were to blame for an important portion of HIV transmission in Africa.¹⁰

AIDS vaccine development

Vaxgen announced that their AIDS vaccine had failed to reduce overall HIV infection rates among those who were vaccinated. The vaccine showed a reduction in certain ethnic groups, indicating that black and Asian volunteers may have produced higher levels of antibodies against HIV than white and Hispanic volunteers. However, many outside observers were sceptical of the ethnic group part of the study.¹¹ In November, the AIDS vaccine also failed in a clinical trial in Thailand.

"The outcome of this trial is one more reminder of how difficult it is to combat HIV and how important it is for the international public health community to redouble the effort to develop an effective vaccine."Donald P. Francis, Vaxgen President -¹²

Researchers warned that the number of women being diagnosed with HIV in Europe was rapidly catching up with men. The researchers also noted that initiatives supplying drug users with clean needles had been effective in Europe. HIV transmission through injecting drug use was said to have been almost eliminated in France, Germany and the UK, and significantly reduced in Spain and Italy.¹³

In March the Treatment Action Campaign (TAC) filed manslaughter charges against the health minister and the trade and industry minister in South Africa. The TAC held the ministers responsible for the deaths of 600 people a day whose lives could have been saved if they had had access to antiretroviral drugs