AIDS-the past, present and future in the Eastern Mediterranean Region

Abstract

Sexual transmission is now the predominant mode of HIV transmission in the Eastern Mediterranean Region. It is mostly males who are affected. HIV prevalence is increasing steadily, particularly among persons practising high-risk behaviour. The cumulative number of reported cases in the Region since the start of the epidemic is just over 3 000, which is much less than the actual number; the number of identified HIV positives is less than 10 000 cases. The estimated cumulative number of cases of HIV infection in the Region is between 1 00 000 and 150 000. The course of the epidemic in the Region could be made less dramatic than it has been elsewhere by building on and promoting prevailing social values, which teach people morality and self-respect, in addition to other strategies for prevention and control