According to the report, how many people are HIV-positive worldwide? [originalte

On the 20th anniversary of the first official report on AIDS, the head of the United Nations’ AIDS program warns the deadly disease may only be at its early stages in many parts of the world. Dr. Piot said the disease has already reached staggering proportions since first being identified in 1981. 58 million people worldwide have contracted the HIV virus, which causes AIDS, while 22 million have died from related illnesses. The UN estimates the world’s HIV-positive population at 36 million, including 25 million in sub- Saharan Africa. International officials warn the disease will have disastrous political, social and economic consequences in many developing countries.