New data show global HIV prevalence—the percentage of people living with HIV—has levelled off and that the number of new infections has fallen, in part as a result of the impact of HIV programmes. However, in 2007 33.2 million [30.6 – 36.1 million] people were estimated to be living with HIV, 2.5 million [1.8 – 4.1 million] people became newly infected and 2.1 million [1.9 – 2.4 million] people died of AIDS.

On 7 November 2007 at the HIV Vaccine Trials Network (HVTN) meeting in Seattle, NIH, HVTN and Merck released updated results based on post hoc analysis of data from a large-scale STEP trial with a Merck candidate vaccine (MRK-Ad5).

United Nations agencies and programs are committed to taking all the necessary measures to intensify Central America’s response to the HIV epidemic. This announcement was made by the Regional Directors for Latin America and the Caribbean of UNAIDS and UNICEF, participating in the 5th Central American Congress on HIV – CONCASIDA 2007.

Managua, 4 November 2007––Central America is preparing to host the V Central American Congress on STI, HIV and AIDS, to be held in Managua, Nicaragua from 4 to 9 November 2007 under the theme ‘For Equality, Diversity and Non-Discrimination’. The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) is providing technical and financial support for the meeting and welcomes the congress’ efforts to advance scientific and technical responses to AIDS in the region.

The United Nations System Chief Executive Board Meeting on 27 October under the leadership of the UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-Moon, expressed its serious concern over the increasing number of violent attacks against humanitarian workers and other UN staff operating under the auspices of the United Nations in various regions of the world.

At the Second Pan-African Forum on Children in Cairo, UNAIDS called for more work to be done in gathering strategic information on children and AIDS. The call came in efforts to increase the understanding of the AIDS epidemic in children and the impact it is having on their lives.

AIDS, a disease which was not even known a quarter of a century ago, is now the fourth leading cause of death in the world. Today, approximately 40 million people are living with HIV, and in every region of the world, the proportion of women among those who are becoming newly infected with HIV is increasing.

African media personality Gaetano Kagwa has been appointed as a Special Representative for the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS). In this role, the popular host of the M-NET African lifestyle television program Studio 53 and former Big Brother Africa contestant will raise awareness and carry out advocacy work on AIDS.

Rupert Everett, renowned film and theatre actor and Special Representative of UNAIDS, the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS, is travelling in Russia from 23-26 September.

UNAIDS mourns the death of former colleague Julia Cleves who lost her battle against cancer on Wednesday 5 September.