2001

The UN reports that 36 million people worldwide are HIV-positive, and 26 million of them are in Africa.  U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan calls for creation of a "war chest" of at least $7 billion a year to prevent and treat HIV/AIDS in the developing world. 

U.S. and European pharmaceutical giants have dropped their three-year battle with the South African government to prevent it from importing cheaper anti-AIDS drugs. 

In Thailand, an experimental drug known as 'V-1 Immunitor' is gaining widespread popularity among local AIDS patients despite government warnings about the validity of the promise that it "cures" HIV/AIDS symptoms.