Lecture Notes: HIV Incidence and Prevalence

Key Definitions

• Incidence: Number of new cases of a disease during a specific time period.
• Prevalence: Total number of cases, both new and existing, at a given time.

HIV in the United States

• Approximately 1 million Americans currently have HIV.
• Annually, there are about 35,000 to 40,000 new HIV infections.
• US represents a small fraction of global HIV cases.

Global HIV Statistics

• Estimated 35 to 40 million people globally are living with HIV.
• Around 1 million new cases are reported each year.
• Approximately 40 million people have died from HIV/AIDS worldwide.
  • Death classifications can be complex, e.g., co-occurring conditions like tuberculosis.
• Global pandemic classification due to widespread impact.

HIV in Sub-Saharan Africa

• 70% of global HIV cases are in Sub-Saharan Africa.
• Some regions have infection rates as high as 20-25%.
• Resource scarcity complicates disease management in these areas.

Progress and Challenges

• Significant progress has been made since initial HIV projections in the 1980s.
  • Earlier projections estimated 8 million Americans could have been affected.
  • Projections also estimated potentially 100 million global deaths.
• Despite progress, resource allocation and drug availability remain challenging.

Conclusion

• Understanding HIV incidence and prevalence helps in recognizing the scale and impact of the disease.
• Focused efforts are needed, especially in resource-limited settings like Sub-Saharan Africa.