AIDS now kills two million Africans a year - 10 times more than war. But four million were newly infected with HIV last year alone and, without treatment, are expected to die within 10 to 15 years. AIDS experts fear this may be only a rehearsal for what could follow in Asia.
Western leaders fear the global implications.
United States President Bill Clinton is concerned about the security threat posed by the destabilising impact on countries where AIDS is a serious problem. In the United Kingdom, where popular perception has it that there is no longer a problem thanks to drug treatments, HIV rates are rising again. AIDS has created about 12 million orphans in Africa, many of whom are stigmatised, get no schooling and are at risk of illness and crime. One in four women aged 20 to 29 are HIV-positive. HIV will kill more than one-third of the young adults of countries where it has its firmest hold, yet the global response is still just a fraction of what it could be.