| The estimated number of adults living with HIV/AIDS includes all people aged 15 and above with HIV infection regardless of whether or not they have developed symptoms of AIDS. The estimates have been produced and compiled by UNAIDS/WHO in consultation with national AIDS programmes, although they are not necessarily the official estimates used by national governments. The methods and parameters used to generate the UNAIDS/WHO estimates have been described in a series of papers published in Sexually Transmitted Infections, “Improved methods and tools for HIV/AIDS estimates and projections,” 2006, 82 (Suppl.) and 2004, 80 (Suppl.).
The ranges presented in the table are “plausibility bounds” which reflect the certainty associated with each of the estimates. The wider the range, the greater the uncertainty surrounding an estimate. The extent of uncertainty depends mainly on the type of epidemic, and the quality, coverage and consistency of a country’s surveillance system and, in generalized epidemics, on whether or not a population-based survey with HIV testing has been conducted.
The percentage of women among adults living with HIV/AIDS was calculated by dividing the estimated number of adult women (15+) living with HIV by the estimated total number of adults (15+) living with HIV and multiplying the resulting figure by 100. |
