Women are harder hit than men. The southern African nation of Botswana has the highest rate, with 36 percent of adults infected. In South Africa, which has a 20 percent infection rate, there are 4.2 million people living with the virus - the largest single national total in the world. In Zimbabwe, a male who was 15 in 1983 had a 15 percent chance of dying before reaching his 50th birthday. This likelihood rose to 50 percent for those turning 15 in 1997.
Denial continues to be a problem.
Although all knew of the disease, none of them believed their parents had died of it and most thought witchcraft or a curse was to blame. In an otherwise grim picture, there are a few success stories. The infection rate in Uganda has fallen to around 8 percent of the adult population from a peak of 14 percent in the early 1990s thanks to strong prevention campaigns and increased condom use. Despite earlier fears of an epidemic sweeping Asia, the general rate of infection remains generally low. In Thailand, the heterosexual epidemic has been curbed, although the virus is spreading fast through shared needles and unprotected sex between men.