Over 1 million people acquired HIV in 2003, bringing to an estimated 7.4 million the number of people now
living with the virus in the region. A further 500,000 people are estimated to have died of AIDS in 2003.
In the Pacific region, HIV/AIDS is posing a real threat to future health and development. Papua New Guinea is already experiencing a large and rapidly worsening epidemic, New Caledonia, French Polynesia, Guam, Fiji and Kiribati have had significant numbers of cases, and virtually all other countries and territories have had some infections reported.

According to UNAIDS’s Fact Sheet, Papua New Guinea has the highest reported rate of HIV infection
in the Pacific, with an estimated HIV prevalence of almost 1 per cent among pregnant women attending antenatal clinics in Port Moresby. Papua New Guinea has had a national HIV/AIDS policy since 1998, but these recent developments point to a pressing need to strengthen prevention efforts.

(Sources: UNAIDS, Fact sheet, Asia and the Pacific, December 2003; Secretariat of Pacific Community
Press Releases, 27 November)