In seven of these, at least one adult in five is infected.
Women are harder hit than men.
A male who was 15 in 1983 had a 15 per cent chance of dying before age 50. In 1997, this likelihood rose to 50 per cent for those turning 15 in 1997. But it said there must be a massive increase in political will and financial resources at global level. Lack of needle-exchange programmes in North America and parts of Europe has condemned drug addicts to continuing high levels of infection, it said. It cited studies in Australia and the United States that increasing numbers of young homosexual men were indulging in risky behaviour with unprotected sexual intercourse and frequent change in partners.