THE GLOBAL HIV PANDEMIC

The paper reviews the distribution, transmission patterns, and likely impacts of the HIV pandemic at the beginning of 1993. As of early 1993 , a cumulative total of 611,589 cases of AIDS were reported to the Wor ld Health Organization (WHO); however, because of less than complete d iagnosis and reporting, the WHO estimates that a total of 2.5 million cases of AIDS had actually occurred. As of early 1993, the WHO estimat es that there have been approximately 13 million infections, of which about 1 million have been in children. By the year 2000 the WHO predic ts that there will be 30-40 million cumulative infections in the world , of which 90% will be in developing countries and almost half will be among women. The epidemic of HIV infection in the decade of the 1980s will result in an epidemic of AIDS in the 1990s, which will place gre at social and economic strains on many countries, particularly those i n many areas of the developing world.