[AIDS in the world].

Abstract

AIDS continues to pose a grave global problem because it is spreading in the general population by increasing heterosexual transmission and vertical transmission from seropositive mothers to fetuses. A minor rate of transmission has been observed from blood transfusion and blood products. On October 31 1990 WHO data indicated that a total of 298914 AIDS cases had been reported. In Africa there were 75642 cases: 15569 were in Uganda 11732 in Zaire 9139 in Kenya 7160 in Malawi 3647 in the Ivory Coast 3494 in Zambia and 3134 in Zimbabwe with the rest averaging less than 4% of the total African caseload. There were 180663 cases in the Americas: 149498 in the US 11070 in Brazil 4941 in Mexico 4427 in Canada 2456 in Haiti 1368 in the Dominican Republic 870 in Venezuela 743 in Honduras 710 in Argentina 648 in Trinidad an Tobago 643 in Colombia 507 in the Bahamas and 203 in Panama the rest being less than 200. Asia had only 790 cases: 290 in Japan 116 in Israel 48 in India 45 in Thailand 37 each in Turkey and the Philippines 31 in Lebanon and 27 in Hong Kong. Europe had 39526 cases: 9718 in France and 6701 in Italy as of June 30 1990 however by December 31 1990 there were 8227 cases reported of whom 4074 had died. There were 6210 in Spain 5266 in the German Federal Republic 3798 in England 1462 in Switzerland 1443 in the Netherlands 999 in Romania 764 in Belgium 663 in Denmark 481 in Portugal 450 in Austria 443 in Sweden and 347 in Greece. Little attention has paid to notification in eastern Europe: 40 cases in the USSR 43 in Poland 23 in Czechoslovakia 22 in the German Democratic Republic 42 in Hungary which is contrasted to 999 cases in Romania. Oceania had 2293 cases: 2040 in Australia 207 in New Zealand 16 in French Polynesia 14 in New Caledonia 13 in New Guinea 2 in Tonga 1 in Fiji and 1 in the Federated States of Micronesia.