India: about 5.1 million individuals are infected with HIV. This is the second largest HIV-positive population in the world, accounting for 10% of the 40 million living with HIV/AIDS worldwide and 60% of the 7.4 million with HIV/AIDS in the Asia–Pacific region. With more than 330,000 new cases occurring each year, population projections predict that the number of infected individuals could reach 20–25 million by 2010 if prevention efforts are not expanded. The WHO estimates that, in 1998, AIDS caused 2% of all deaths and 6% of infectious disease-related deaths in India; by 2033, these figures are expected to increase to 17% and 40%, respectively. There are several localized HIV/AIDS sub-epidemics in India, reflecting diversity in sociocultural patterns and multiple vulnerabilities in the country. In some, mainly southern states there is a high prevalence of infection and the epidemic is spreading gradually from urban to rural areas and from high-risk groups to the general population. The epidemic also continues to shift towards women and young people; about 25% of all HIV infections occur in women. This greatly increases the potential for a future epidemic of paediatric HIV/AIDS. Perinatal transmission is already