Comment: The Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS launched its '2008 Report on the global AIDS epidemic' in New York, last week. According to Peter Piot’s words, the Executive Director of UNAIDS "this is the most positive report in the past 14 years." Since the last report in 2006, more had been accomplished in the fight against AIDS than in the last two decades, mostly due to prevention efforts and treatment.

Though, in Eastern Europe and Central Asia, the number of people who are living with HIV rose to 1,5 million in 2007. The report estimates that 110'000 people in the region became infected with HIV in 2007 and 58'000 died of AIDS. The figures are more worrying in Ukraine and in Russia, since almost 90% of those infected in the region live in both countries. In Ukraine, annual new HIV diagnoses have more than doubled since 2001 and the annual number of people being infected has increased dramatically in Moldova. The main modes of HIV transmission in the region remains concentrated largely among injecting drug users (62%). Eventually, the report stresses the need for Eastern European governments to ensure equal access policies to women, since most of programs are designed for men.(You can find the Report in our Document Library).

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