U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan warned Thursday that the spread of HIV/AIDS is speeding up and said governments' response to the epidemic had been insufficient, dpa reported. In an update on U.N. action against AIDS, Annan painted a gloomy picture, particularly on the plight of the growing number of women and girls infected with HIV. "Last year saw more new infections and more AIDS-related deaths than ever before. Indeed, HIV and AIDS expanded at an accelerating rate and on every continent," Annan told the General Assembly. Annan's report said there were 4.9 million new infections and 3.1 million AIDS deaths last year. The head of the UN-AIDS programme, Peter Piot, told the assembly that there had been a "quantum worsening" in the epidemic's trajectory in past few years. Taking stock of the last four years, the U.N. chief said there had been progress - though not enough. "Four years on, the response in every key category has been significant - in political leadership, in funding, in the intensity and reach of prevention programmes, and in the availability of drug therapies," Annan told a one-day session of the U.N. General Assembly to assess the global anti-AIDS campaign. --More 0015 Local Time 2115 GMT
