In early 1995, AIDS had already overtaken accidents as the number-one killer of US men between the age of 25 and 44 (US News & World Report, Feb. 13, 1996).
Once restricted to homosexual males, drug users and hemophiliacs, AIDS began to devastate heterosexual males and females. From the number of HIV-positive cases detected thus far, as many as a quarter of the population in some sub-Sahara countries of Africa are expected to die from AIDS (P. Shenon, The New York Times, January 21, 1996, p.1, p.8; see also L. Garrett, Newsday July 3, 1996, pp. A8, A38). Similar large-scale rampage of AIDS among heterosexual adults has now begun in Asia (P. Shenon, The New York Times, Nov. 8, 1992, pp.1, 12.; H. Collins, The Philadelphia Inquirer, Aug. 7, 1994, pp. A1, A12).
In 1995, 50,000 died from this disease in Thailand alone. There are now more HIV-positive people in India than in any other country, estimated at 3 million or even as high as 6 million. AIDS is now also spreading in Brazil and in Central America (P. Shenon, The New York Times , Jan. 21, 1996, pp. 1, 8.; see also Garrett, ibid.).As of July 1996, HIV-postives numbered 21.8 million world-wide (The Philadelphia Inquirer, July 20, 1996, Editorial, p. A8.)