EPIDEMIOLOGY OF HIV INFECTION

The pandemic of HIV infection continues for more than 30 years. The first acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) was first described in 1981, many years of HIV infection and its final stage AIDS was considered as a disease of homosexuals and drug addicts. Currently, HIV infection is one of the most important medical and social problems, because the number of cases of HIV infection and people living with HIV continues to grow steadily worldwide, covering people who are not included in the group with risk factors of infection.

In June 2001, HIV/AIDS was devoted to a special session of the UN General Assembly. In addresses to the Assembly, UN Secretary-General Kofi A. Annan, noted: "wherever an epidemic AIDS, it exacerbate existing socio-economic problems. Ultimately, the effectiveness of our leadership will be determined by how convincing we will solve the problems of poverty, inequality and inadequate infrastructures of the factors contributing to the development of this terrible disease. The only way we can empower citizens, communities and countries that will help them to fully fulfill their role as leaders in the fight against HIV/AIDS".

In the 80-ies of the last century the largest number of registered cases of HIV infection were in Central Africa and the United States, and by the end of 2000, the epidemic had involved all the continents.

According to experts the who in 2014 the number of people living with HIV in the world were 36.9 million [34.3–41.4 per million]. In the countries of Africa South of the Sahara, their number amounted to 25.8 [24,0–28,7] million in Asia and the Pacific - 5 [4,5–5,6] million in Latin America -1,7 [1,4–2] million in Western and Central Europe and North America - 2,4 [1,5–3,5] million in Eastern Europe and Central Asia - a 1.5 [1,3–1,8] million in the Caribbean - 280 thousand [210-340] thousand, the middle East and North Africa - 240 [150-320] thousand

Since 2000, approximately 38.1 million people became newly infected with HIV and 25.3 million people died from diseases associated with AIDS.

In 2014, the estimated number of new cases of HIV infection were: in Africa South of the Sahara and 1.4 [1.2 to 1.5] million in the Asia-Pacific region 340 [240 – 480] thousand, in Latin America - 87 thousand [70-100], in Western and Central Europe and North America - 85 [48 -130] thousand in Eastern Europe and Central Asia - 140 [110 -160] thousand, in the Caribbean, 13 [9,6–17] thousand, in the middle East and North Africa - 22 [13-33] thousand

According to these data, the most affected by HIV remain in the country, located South of the Sahara. The HIV epidemic in Asia is still mainly concentrated in the group of injecting drug users. In Eastern Europe and Central Asia, the manifestation of the epidemic process of HIV infection is determined mainly by the breadth of use of injecting drugs and the intensification of sexual way of HIV transmission.

HIV infection is widespread and officially registered in all countries of the world. At the same time, it is extremely unevenly distributed in different geographical regions, in different age, social and other groups.

To date, the incidence of HIV infection in the world has acquired the character of a pandemic. Most HIV-infected persons live in countries of sub-Saharan Africa, which account for about 70% of people living with HIV.