The State of the HIV/AIDS Pandemic

The State of the HIV/AIDS Pandemic

HIV/AIDS is a global threat that knows no boundaries. An estimated 40 million people worldwide are living with HIV, 17.6 million of whom are women. Over 4 million people are newly infected each year, 640,000 of them children. Since the pandemic began, AIDS has killed more than 25 million people; in 2004 alone, AIDS claimed more than 3 million lives.

In Canada, the impact of HIV is also increasing with more people living with HIV infection (prevalent infections). At the end of 2005, an estimated 58,000 people were living with HIV infection (including AIDS), representing an increase of about 16 per cent from 2002.

For more information, visit The State of the HIV/AIDS Pandemic.

Research is critical to combatting the HIV epidemic. The Federal Initiative to Address HIV/AIDS in Canada funds a broad range of research and surveillance activities that are increasing our understanding of the social, economic, biomedical, clinical, health and public policy aspects of HIV/AIDS. The Canadian HIV Vaccine Initiative contributes to domestic and international research and research capacity focussed on the discovery of HIV vaccines and related issues.