The global AIDS epidemic was continuing to grow and some nations had reported a resurgence in recent HIV infection rates, said a United Nations report released on Tuesday.

Latest figures showed that an estimated 39.5 million people worldwide were living with HIV, with 4.3 million new infections reported this year, mostly in sub-Saharan Africa, said the 2006 AIDS Epidemic Update, jointly released by UNAIDS and the World Health Organization (WHO).

"Evidence shows again that the global epidemic is growing in all areas," UNAIDS Executive Director Peter Piot told a news conference.

In 2006, there were also important increases of new infections in Eastern Europe and Central Asia, said the report, adding that a total of 2.9 million people worldwide died of AIDS-related illnesses this year.

New data suggest that HIV prevention programs have not been sustained in North America and Western Europe, where the number of new infections has largely remained static.

Similarly in low- and middle-income nations, there are only a few examples of countries that have actually reduced new infections.

Some countries that had showed earlier successes in reducing new infections, such as Uganda, are now having a negative performance, with their infection rates actually increasing again, the report said.

"This is worrying -- as we know increased HIV prevention programs in these countries have shown progress in the past -- Uganda being a prime example," Piot told reporters.

"This means that countries are not moving at the same speed as their epidemics. We need to greatly intensify life-saving prevention efforts while we expand HIV treatment programs," he said.

According to the report, in many countries, HIV prevention programs are not reaching the people most at risk of infection, such as young people, women and girls, men who have sex with men, sex workers and their clients, injecting drug users, and ethnic and cultural minorities.

"It is imperative that we continue to increase investment in both HIV prevention and treatment services to reduce unnecessary deaths and illness from this disease," said WHO acting Director-General, Anners Nordstrom.

He said increased prevention and treatment efforts were especially important in sub-Saharan Africa, the region worst affected by AIDS.

"Life expectancy at birth (in sub-Saharan Africa) is now just 47 years, which is 30 years less than most high-income countries," he said.

Source: Xinhua