The 17th International AIDS Conference, Aug. 3-8, in Mexico City serves as a reminder that the world cannot afford to lower its guard against this deadly disease. This applies especially to Japan where, according to the health ministry's AIDS committee, a record number of new HIV infections were reported in 2007.
The United Nations reported in June that an estimated 33.2 million people worldwide had HIV as of December 2007 and that an estimated 2.5 million people developed AIDS in 2007 — down from the 3.2 million reported 10 years earlier.
The U.N. warned that while the number of HIV infections worldwide is on the decline, China, Indonesia, Russia and Ukraine as well as Japan are seeing an increase. The AIDS committee reported in May that Japan saw a record 1,082 new HIV infections in 2007. The number of people who developed AIDS symptoms also reached a record 418. The January-March 2008 period saw 251 new HIV infections — the fourth worst record.