Written question asked by Andrew Rosindell (Conservative) on Monday, 12 July 2004, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 15 July 2004. It was answered by Hilary Benn (Labour) on Thursday, 15 July 2004 on behalf of the Department for International Development.

Dept for International Development

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what the most recent figures collected by the World Health Organisation are for (a) the number of people suffering from AIDS and (b) the countries most affected. - Inc figures.

Answer: Mr. Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the most recent figures collected by the World Health Organisation are for (a) the number of people suffering from AIDS and (b) the countries most affected. [184242] Hilary Benn: The most recent figures available are those given in the UNAIDS (Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS) "4th Global Report on the Global AIDS Epidemic" which will be deposited in the Libraries of the House shortly. The report is the product of data collected by both UNAIDS and WHO (World Health Organisation). Today, some 37.8 million people (range: 34.6-42.3 million) are living with HIV and AIDS. Sub- Saharan Africa remains the hardest hit region with an estimated 25 million people infected with HIV. The countries most affected are: Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

Secondary information