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Global effort on World Aids Day Global effort on World Aids Day
(about 6 hours later)
President George W Bush has urged the US Congress to authorise the doubling of financial aid to combat HIV/Aids to $30bn (£15bn) over the next five years. Events are being held to mark the 20th World Aids Day, many highlighting the need to fight continued prejudices against people with HIV-Aids.
"We will turn the tide against HIV/Aids once and for all," he said, adding that he would visit Africa during 2008. The UN recently reduced its estimate of the number of people with HIV/Aids, but the figure still stands at 33 million.
He spoke as millions of people around the world prepared for World Aids Day. UN chief Ban Ki-moon said strong leadership was needed if the fight against the disease was to be won.
A special concert is being held in South Africa backed by former president Nelson Mandela - a prominent campaigner in the fight against the disease. Campaigners have warned that progress in treating and slowing the disease is breeding complacency about the risks.
More than five million South Africans are HIV positive.
See a breakdown of global HIV prevalenceSee a breakdown of global HIV prevalence
However, recent reports suggest that like most countries in the region, adult HIV prevalence is either stable or has started to decline. In South Africa, the country with the most HIV infections, former President Nelson Mandela is due to attend a concert in Johannesburg where international musicians, including Annie Lennox and Peter Gabriel, will perform alongside local talent.
After years in which the South African government was accused of "Aids denialism", the country now has the world's largest programme of antiretroviral (ARV) treatment. It is the latest event organised by the 46664 campaign - which is named after Mr Mandela's old prison number and began five years ago.
But HIV/Aids campaigners say more must still be done - especially in preventing mother-to-child HIV transmission. More than five million South Africans are HIV positive.
'Losing ground' After years in which the South African government was accused of "Aids denial", the country now has the world's largest programme of antiretroviral treatment.
The United Nations recently reduced its estimate of the number of people living with HIV/Aids to 33 million from nearly 40 million after re-evaluating its data collection methods. And I call for leadership at all levels to scale up towards universal access to HIV prevention, treatment, care and support by 2010 Ban Ki-moonUN Secretary General class="" href="/1/hi/uk/7122370.stm">Fears over homeopathy role
Aids is a social issue, a human rights issue, an economic issue Ban Ki-moonUN Secretary General class="" href="/1/hi/uk/7122370.stm">Fears over homeopathy role But Aids campaigners say more must still be done - especially in preventing mother-to-child HIV transmission.
Marking World Aids Day in New York, Secretary General Ban Ki-moon attended a midnight church ceremony and called for a move towards universal access to HIV prevention and treatment. The UN Secretary General, Mr Ban, has called for renewed efforts to focus on helping women, who now make up half of those living with Aids worldwide, and for better funding for prevention and care programmes.
"Aids is a disease unlike any other. Aids is a social issue, a human rights issue, an economic issue. It targets young adults just as they should be contributing economic development, intellectual growth, and bringing up their children." "I call for leadership among all governments in fully understanding the epidemic - so that resources go where they are most needed," he said in a speech in New York.
Almost three-quarters of Aids-related deaths during 2006 were in sub-Saharan Africa. Two-thirds of those living with HIV are found there. "And I call for leadership at all levels to scale up towards universal access to HIV prevention, treatment, care and support by 2010," he added.
The number of people living with the virus has increased everywhere, with the most striking increases in East Asia and Central Asia/Eastern Europe. US fund increase
US President George W Bush on Friday urged the US Congress to authorise the doubling of financial aid to combat HIV/Aids to $30bn (£15bn) over the next five years.
"We will turn the tide against HIV/Aids once and for all," he said, adding that he would visit Africa during 2008.
In India, the Red Ribbon Express is spreading anti-Aids adviceAlmost three-quarters of Aids-related deaths during 2006 were in sub-Saharan Africa. Two-thirds of those living with HIV are found there.
But the number of people living with the virus has increased everywhere, with the most striking increases in East Asia and Central Asia/Eastern Europe.
The BBC's David Loyn, in Afghanistan, says that nearly 30 years after HIV/Aids first emerged onto the world stage, it is now moving into the country with unpredictable consequences.The BBC's David Loyn, in Afghanistan, says that nearly 30 years after HIV/Aids first emerged onto the world stage, it is now moving into the country with unpredictable consequences.
Only 266 cases of HIV/Aids have been recorded in Afghanistan but returning refugees, truck drivers, and Afghans now flying abroad to work are bringing in the disease.Only 266 cases of HIV/Aids have been recorded in Afghanistan but returning refugees, truck drivers, and Afghans now flying abroad to work are bringing in the disease.
There are fears the official figures are just the tip of the iceberg, our correspondent says.There are fears the official figures are just the tip of the iceberg, our correspondent says.
Vatican view
In India, the Red Ribbon Express, a train with a giant Aids ribbon running the length of its side, has set off on a journey of almost 27,000km (16,000 miles) to spread advice about tackling the disease to almost 60,000 villages across the country.
An estimated two and a half million people in India are affected by the Aids virus - only Nigeria and South Africa have higher numbers.
Mr Bush praised the "extraordinary generosity" of US citizensIn Sanya, China, the 57th Miss World beauty pageant is being held to coincide with World Aids Day in an effort to raise awareness.
And Chinese President Hu Jintao has appeared on the front page of major state-controlled newspapers shaking the hand of a woman with HIV.
The head of the Roman Catholic Church, Pope Benedict XVI, has said this week that he is spiritually close to victims of Aids and their families, but the Vatican still opposes the use of condoms as a means of fighting the epidemic.
At his weekly general audience the pope called for stepped-up efforts to stop the spread of the HIV virus that causes Aids and deplored the disdain with which Aids sufferers are often treated.
Yet the Vatican refuses to end its opposition to the use of condoms.
Roman Catholics in many parts of the world, however, believe condom use helps save lives, according to an opinion poll published by a liberal Catholic group in the United States, Catholics for Choice.
According to the survey, a majority of Catholics living in Ghana, Ireland, Mexico, the Philippines and the US all believe that Catholic hospitals and government-funded clinics should be required to include condoms as part of Aids prevention.
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